My Way
by azure-chan
Summary: Usagi decides to do things a little differently after a tragedy. This is what happened.
1. Prologue

Hey all! This is the Revised Version of the prologue. I was reading this over and got so disgusted with how this started out that I went and revised the whole thing from chapters 1 through about 4 or so. No, they're not drastic changes, more like I added more detail and feeling, and I cleared some things up. And the Mamo-cheating thing is worn out, and GONE!  
  
Anyway, enjoy!  
  
Prologue: My way  
  
By azure_chan:  
  
"What do you mean, 'You're leaving?'" Rei demanded of her best friend, Usagi. The blonde had come up to her temple with this hollow look in her eyes and a red nose, sniffling, talking about leaving.  
  
"Just what I said. I'm going away and probably never coming back. I have to get away from here, Rei, and I wanted you to be the first to know." Usagi sniffled again.  
  
The blonde young lady's heart could take no more. It was shattered into thousands of glass-like pieces, scattered all over the void she once knew as earth. But earth without Mamoru, there was no earth she wanted to live in, even with her dearest, most loving friends.  
  
(flashback)  
  
*Usagi, watch out!"  
  
Usagi let out a shrill cry as the youma's blast landed on its mark which was her back. Sprawled out on her stomach the girl heaved, shaking and trying desperately to gather strength to rise up to her skinned, bleeding knees.  
  
"Usagi!"  
  
The call had come too late, and Usagi knew she was going to die. She was going to die fighting for Tokyo, for earth, for the friends that lay immobile upon the hard, beaten ground of the park they currently fought in. She was ready, accepting her fate as calmly as she could and feeling the hot rays of the youma's attack streaking closer and closer to her beaten body.  
  
But someone had other plans.  
  
Just as the girl was about to take in her last breath, she was roughly pushed out of the way of the attack and sent rolling and tumbling to the side, while her savior let out a strangled, choked cry that left Usagi's blood to chill and her heart to freeze.  
  
"Mamoru, NO!" She screamed. The young princess looked upon her hero with blank, lifeless eyes. . .  
  
. . . and he looked back upon her with blank, lifeless eyes as well.  
  
(end flashback)  
  
The fight had been finished only with the help of the weak sailor senshi, who had gathered their strength to help finish off the monster.  
  
Rei felt tears coming to her eyes as she saw her princess, her best friend was serious. "You couldn't stop him, Usagi," she whimpered. "He pushed you out of the way so you could live. So you could live with ~us~! He sacrificed himself because he loved you. What do you think he'd say if he knew you were leaving? His sacrifice would have been in vain!"  
  
Usagi smiled through her sadness but slowly shook her head. "I can't stay here, Rei. There are too many painful memories . . ." She took a shaky breath and stared up at her most trusted friend. "Do you know how it feels to not be able to look upon a full moon without crying? Do you know how it feels to know that your only daughter is gone forever from the future. . . that you can't protect her anymore, because the only man who could bless you with her life is . . . dead?"  
  
"Usa---"  
  
Usagi shook her head once more. "Listen to me. I can't stay here, Rei. It hurts too much." She smiled a bit. "Do you remember how you felt when Chad left? How you cried endlessly, how your heart broke and is still broken in some places? How you wished that every moment you had ever spent with him could have been longer? That if you had seen this coming, you would have stopped it?"  
  
Rei sighed and let her tears fall. "Yeah."  
  
"This is how it feels, Rei. This is how it's ~always~ going to feel, Rei. I love you all, and I love my family, and I love Tokyo, but I can't live without Mamoru. And I can't live with the memories."  
  
Instead of feeling any more sympathy for the young princess, Rei became enraged. "So, you're just going to leave because you're too much of a wimp to stay? You're going to forget all about the friends who are still alive, who love you and will love you for always? You forget all those times we had together? News-flash, Usagi---" Rei brutally spit the blonde's name out- --"we're important, too. What do you expect us to do without you now, huh? You think everything's going to go back to normal? Huh? What are ~we~ supposed to do?"  
  
"Forget me. Forget I lived. Forget I was Sailormoon, forget I am a reincarnated princess, and forget about the Silver Millennium, Crystal Tokyo. From now on, I am just a figment of your imagination."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Yeah, that's the Revised Version of this prologue. Better? I think so.  
  
Review and tell me if you like it or not. 


	2. Chapter 1

01: (all my chaps with be like this)  
  
"Tsukino Usagi."  
  
The women with frosty gray eyes and blood red hair smirked. "What kind of name is that? Bunny of the Moon? Boy, if you want in, you had better change your name."  
  
'Kuso . . . I forgot I'm supposed to be a guy.' Usagi thought with a grin. "Shenji. Tsukino, Shenji." It was the only thing that came to her mind.  
  
Since her departure with Rei, Usagi had jumped on the nearest train and, not knowing what had happened, had found herself here. Setsuna had contacted her and said she was in the future, that her friends knew nothing of her ever existing, and that, if she wanted, she was to become a Gundam Pilot. Of course, Setsuna failed to mention the part about Boot Camp, but this was fine by Usagi. Anything to get away.  
  
"Shenji Tsukino. You look a bit girly to be a boy, kid. What are you; thirteen, fourteen? Have you even hit puberty yet?" The woman sneered.  
  
Usagi held back tears of fear and nodded. "I have and I'm fourteen."  
  
"You sure don't look-"  
  
"Just sign my damn name." Usagi snapped, startled at her harshness. 'All those times with Haruka really ~were~ bad for me,' she thought.  
  
The woman grinned. "About time you showed some manliness. You'll go through Boot Camp before you get to the real training. Your train is D, and you'll be sitting with a Maxwell. Duo Maxwell."  
  
Usagi gave a brisk nod and took her military ticket. 'I hope no one figures out I'm a girl in an all-boy military Boot Camp. If I make it through that, I bet I can make it through the real training, too.'  
  
Boarding the train, Usagi's mind quickly changed. Men and boys of all ages studied her as soon she stepped into the train car and snickered, narrowed their eyes, laughed.  
  
"Look at the girly boy!"  
  
Usagi narrowed her eyebrows as the taunting began. 'Laugh now, but when I learn how to fight and beat your ass, you won't be laughing much longer.' She sort of liked this new Haruka vocabulary, and she figured she'd need it to make it through as a tough 'guy'.  
  
"Which one of you is Duo Maxwell?" she spoke up, figuring she wasn't bold enough because everyone laughed at her again. Luckily, she had hid all of her hair, not wanting to cut it, under a black cap, so it made her look considerably boy-ish.  
  
"I said-"  
  
"I am! I'm Duo!" A cheery voice spoke up amidst the laughing.  
  
Usagi looked over the snickering and laughing heads to the back of the train where a boy with a long braid sat, stuffing his face full of train delacies. She mentally smiled. 'He looks pretty nice. Maybe he isn't as much of a jerk as these other guys.'  
  
"Hi! Duo Maxwell. I run, I hide, but I don't lie. Who're you?"  
  
"Us-Shenji Tsukino." Usagi said. 'Close one.'  
  
Duo smiled at the boy sitting across from him in the train booth. 'He sure does look like a girl. Maybe he looks more like his mother.'  
  
Usagi smiled at Duo. Energetic, nice, and he had long hair, which meant she could just tie hers back in a braid too. Deciding to do just that, she took off her cap. Immediately, the hair piled messily on the top of her head fell over her shoulders.  
  
'Holy crap . . .' Duo thought as the boy's hair tumbled down and spilled onto the seat beside him. "And I thought ~I~ had a lot of hair." He joked as the boy smiled and began to braid his hair.  
  
Just as Usagi was finishing her braid, another boy came over to where they sat.  
  
She looked up and into the most confusing shade of blue eyes she had ever seen. They were a definite mix between amethyst and . . . something darker. Navy blue, maybe?  
  
"Hi." She said, extending her hand and ignoring the eye-color matter for the moment. "Shenji Tsukino."  
  
The boy standing in front of her just continued to glare. He looked at her hand, narrowed his eyes at her and took a seat by Duo. "Touché." She muttered, ignoring the sharp look of disgust she received from him.  
  
"Kuso!" she heard someone yell next. "Not another braided baka!"  
  
Usagi blinked up at a Chinese boy. 'Very rude . . . like Rei.' she thought, smiling up at him as her friend's name brought back happy feelings. "Shenji- "  
  
"I don't care for your name, child. Unless you prove me wrong, all you are to me is another weak idiot like Maxwell."  
  
'Well that was rude.' she thought, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Awl, I missed you too Wu-man." Duo laughed as Wufei's eye twitched and the ebony-haired boy clenched his fists.  
  
"My name is Wufei, you low-life scum-of-the-earth. Now get it right! Wu- FEI."  
  
"Wu-MAN."  
  
Wufei growled in frustration. Why must this little pompous he'd met in his other school insist on calling him 'Wu-man.' And now, another girly boy sat at ~his~ table. 'They are all weakling boys who deserve nothing more than to breathe the air.' Hiiro was the only acceptable one. He didn't give a damn about anything or any one, a true soldier to be.  
  
Finally, a voice came on ringing throughout the whole train.  
  
"Good morning, boys." The female at the ticket counter spoke. "If you'll take your seats, we can leave. If anyone would like to turn back now, I suggest you leave the train. This isn't going to be a fun year at a fun camp, so don't think of smores and camp fire stories."  
  
The speaker clicked off and the train began to move after about five more minutes.  
  
Usagi lay her head against the window of the train, looking out at the scenery passing by. 'Sheep, cows, horses, grass, hills . . . ' she thought of her friends, what they were doing, her family, what they were doing. 'Kami I miss you all so much, demo I had to get away. Gomen nasai, minna. I miss you all so much.' [AN: Alright. I've made a sudden resolution. Since I'm not in any way, shape or form Japanese, I'm not going to use the language anymore. I mean, what does it prove? I don't know a bit of Japanese other than what I pick up from other people's stories, and besides, it confuses those who don't know what the words mean. Any of Japanese sayings/words you see in this story with either be switched or taken out in the future. Thanks.]  
  
Duo pushed a cup of hot coffee under the blonde boy's nose. He looked sleepy and home-sick already. 'He shouldn't have come if he couldn't handle this.' Duo thought sadly.  
  
"Thanks." Usagi said, gingerly taking the steaming cup. She took a sip and immediately made a disgusted face. "Sugar," she choked out, frowning when Duo broke out into laughter.  
  
The train ride was loud for the first few hours as boys got to know each other and began joking, but finally, it got quiet as boys rested.  
  
Usagi sighed. 'I hope I make it through this. I tied those bandages around my chest so tight I can't tell I have any breasts any more. Goodbye, everyone. I'll never forget you.'  
  
And that was the last of the Usagi Serenity Tsukino from Tokyo, Japan.  
  
Okie dokie, this chapter has been rescued from poor writing! Yay! What'ddya think? Review! 


	3. Chapter 2

02:  
  
After hours and hours the train stopped and yawns were heard all over.  
  
Usagi opened her eyes as Duo tapped her. 'I must have slept the whole way.' Yawning, she focused her eyes on the guy with confusing blue eyes; he must not have slept at all.  
  
"Your baggages will be brought into your room." The speaker clicked off once more and everybody on the train got off, forming two long lines of stiff boys, and one girl.  
  
"Welcome to Boot Camp." A man in a murky green uniform lined in multi- colored war badges and holding a long black stick with a loop at the end walked up and down the aisles of straight-standing boys.  
  
"I don't know what you're used to, how you got here, why you're here--- other than military purposes, of course---nor do I care. From now on, you belong to me. What does that mean? It means I get to do whatever I want to you. Whether that be beating the shit out of you for your insolence or waking you up at three in the morning, you must obey."  
  
Usagi groaned mentally. This was ~not~ going to be a fun year.  
  
"Now," the man continued, snickering at the tired and haggard faces of his new recruits, "everyone is to get to their dorm rooms in a period of five minutes, in an orderly fashion. Those who are late, report to ~me~." The glint in his eyes told everyone that no body had better be late.  
  
"GO!"  
  
Usagi tried to walk briskly toward the entrance of the military dorm rooms, yet these boys didn't walk in an orderly fashion as the man had said to do. She cried out pitifully as she was trampled over, pushed, shoved, hit, slapped and finally thrown to the ground. 'I just got beat up.' She faintly thought, the comfort of curling up into a ball and crying her eyes out very strong.  
  
"Get up."  
  
Usagi opened her eyes and caught a glare that could kill the un-dead. "I'm g-going-"  
  
"I said get the hell up, boy!"  
  
She bit back a scream as the man roughly dug his fingers into her arm and yanked, throwing her toward the entrance of the dorm rooms. She tripped on the stairs, her head dipping down and cutting itself just above the eyebrow. The blonde girl hurried into the building to find her room. She was the only one in the hallway.  
  
"Sheli, Shelom, Shemoi, Shenhan, Shenji . . . Shenji Tsukino," she read, hurrying into her dorm, her cut throbbing. Clutching it, she opened the door and stared at the ground, a blush tainting her cheeks; she was way over five minutes late.  
  
Duo looked at the new arrival from the top bunk. "Hey Shenji! What took ya so long?" he asked, wincing slightly when the boy looked up. His fingers were all bloody, as was his eyebrow.  
  
Wufei snickered. "What happened? You trip ~up~ the stairs?" At this the boy blushed deeper. "Girly idiot." He snickered.  
  
Hiiro leaned over his bunk bed to make it up, ignoring the confrontations between Wu Fei and Duo. In all actuality, their levels of intelligence seemed minuscule to his own.  
  
"Are you okay? Don't mind these two, they're always jerks. Seriously, you need a bandaid?" Duo rummaged around in his pack, finding nothing.  
  
Usagi was thankful and pushed past Wufei to the bed, nodding at Duo, her eyes cast to the ground, cheeks flaming red.  
  
Duo hopped off the top bunk and searched around for something, grunting every now and then. "Aha! Here ya go." He handed her a worn out rag and a bandaid.  
  
"Thanks Duo!" Usagi said, wiping the cut and wincing. She then put a bandaid on it and wiped her fingers.  
  
"You really do act like a girl." Wufei noted again.  
  
Usagi was getting tired of him. Then, she had an idea. An idea so demented and crazy, so unthinkable and illogical that it just might pass for logical even in these times of illogical-ness. [AN: What'd I just write?] She whirled around and grinned at Wufei. "You wanna know why I act so girly, my dear, dear Wufei?" she asked, hands on her hips, her voice deeper than her own and just as feminine, yet male enough to pass.  
  
Wu Fei's eyes widened.  
  
"Why . . . " he asked quietly.  
  
She smirked. "Because I'm gay."  
  
Chapter 2! Go on through to Chapter 3! If you want, review me! 


	4. Chapter 3

03:  
  
Last time:  
  
"You really do act like a girl." Wufei noted again.  
  
Usagi was getting tired of him. Then, she had an idea. An idea so demented and crazy, so unthinkable and illogical that it just might pass for logical even in these times of illogical-ness. [AN: What'd I just write?] She whirled around and grinned at Wufei. "You wanna know why I act so girly, my dear, dear Wufei?" she asked, hands on her hips, her voice deeper than her own and just as feminine, yet male enough to pass.  
  
Wu Fei's eyes widened.  
  
"Why . . . " he asked quietly.  
  
She smirked. "Because I'm gay."  
  
Now:  
  
The air seemed to seep out of the room as Usagi faced a wide-eyed Wufei. She smirked. 'Why not? It'll keep them off my back for a while!'  
  
"Which bunk did you say was mine, Duo dear?" she asked sweetly.  
  
"B-bottom." He stuttered. He couldn't believe it. This guy was gay! Not only that, sharing a dorm room with-with him! 'Oh damn,' he thought, 'Wufei and Hiiro are going to complain.' And with that, the two boys stormed out of the room, leaving him and the gay guy alone. 'Oh shit, oh shit-please don't hit on me, I don't think I can take it from a guy!'  
  
Usagi placed her stuff under her bunk bed and sat on it, seemingly to have a staring contest with Duo. Sighing, she took out her braid and shook her hair, running her hands through it.  
  
"Please don't do that. I mean-not to sound rude, but can you act---gay---er- --girly, that is to say . . . I mean . . . somewhere else? It makes me uncomfortable." Duo said, backing up against the door.  
  
Usagi re-braided her hair and nodded, sighing. She'd never make it here. The idea to tell two boys she was gay seemed good at the time, but not anymore. Not only that, the only friend she had made was now scared of her. 'That's it, I'm becoming a recluse.' Rolling over and slipping off her shoes, Usagi took a nap.  
  
*  
  
"The damn boy is gay, sir!" Wufei snarled. He was usually calm about situtations, but now, he was right out mad.  
  
The general leaned back in his chair and sighed. He'd had a gay boy in his camp each year, so he wasn't surprised. Now, it was never a problem because the gay boys usually kept to themselves, but it ~was~ getting annoying.  
  
Mikoshi disapproved of gay boys period. However, that did not mean they weren't a valuble asset to military camps. Gay or not, they were still people who could train and get stronger, wiser and more skilled.  
  
"Sir, if I may speak." She said, making sure everyone in the office was listening. When all eyes were focused on her, she continued. "I do not believe throwing Shenji out of the camp is an appropriate action."  
  
Snickers; Wufei.  
  
Mikoshi glared at him and he immediately stood at attention. "Keep him here," she said in a softer tone. "What would we prove if we threw him out? He is just another boy who wishes to fight for his country, and in time, he could show some real skill. And further more, he has yet to inform us of his illness."  
  
"You doubt my word?" Wufei asked in a pinched tone.  
  
The general's first commander focused piercing gray eyes on him, disapproval written all over her face. "I doubt your word, Chang. Problem?" she taunted.  
  
"No sir." He hollered. 'Damn woman . . .'  
  
Hiiro stood stock still, not saying a word. He wondered distantly why he was even here at the camp. In school-wise eyes, he was a sophomore. Even so, it was obvious to everyone he was way better than the new recruits, and elders. Hell, Chang over there was calling Mikoshi 'sir'.  
  
"Then don't speak unless you're spoken too, understood?" she sneered, throwing his coldness back at him.  
  
"Yes sir." He almost whispered.  
  
'Again.' Hiiro thought, not shifting a bit but casting a glare at Wufei. It would be just like that self-righteous idiot to get them both into trouble.  
  
The general cleared his throat. "Since you feel so strongly about this, Commander Mikoshi, and you have never steered me wrong with your feelings, Shenji will stay."  
  
Hiiro and Wufei glanced at one another. "He's gay, sir." Hiiro protested, but not a hint of protesting in his voice. [Confusing, I know hehe.]  
  
"But," the general continued, ignoring Hiiro's remark, "if he shows one teencie, tiny little sign of anything about him being gay, he's gone. I don't want to hear anything else about it from you boys. Dismissed."  
  
The two boys filed out of his office and he swiveled around in his chair to face the woman he loved. Red hair bounced when she looked down at him from her standing position.  
  
"I hope you're strong about your feelings, Mikoshi." He said.  
  
Mikoshi smiled. "Kihono, I am." And she stared after the two boys with heat in her eyes. 'But I'm not so sure about those two.'  
  
*  
  
Usagi woke up abruptly as Hiiro and Wufei stalked back into the dorm room, slamming the door behind them. Frowning into a yawn, she decided to make conversation.  
  
"Did you get me kicked out?" she almost melted from fear at the looks she received.  
  
"No," Wufei snapped. "You're lucky Commander Mikoshi was on your side. She must have a thing for gays."  
  
Usagi felt something inside of her snap. "Shut the hell up, you damn asshole. Just because I'm different from you doesn't mean I don't have feelings-"  
  
"Don't give me this 'gay boy feeling' speech." He snickered.  
  
Usagi felt her blood boil. Even if she wasn't really gay, talking about her made her angrier. Not knowing what she was doing, she jumped off her bed, reared back her fist, and before he could stop her, she punched him square in the jaw.  
  
Wufei reacted immediately. He pushed her back into the wall and pummeled her with blows.  
  
'Holy shit---this is pain! It's not any worse than the bruises I've received from fighting monsters.' Now she was lying to herself, and lying didn't help because this was way worse! Resisting the urge the cry out, she licked her lip; blood. The metallic taste mingled with her saliva.  
  
'This'll teach that gay jackass to mess with me.' Wufei thought, rearing back and punching the boy in the stomach.  
  
Usgai immediately doubled over in pain as the air was roughly thrown out of her system. She slid down the wall coughing up blood and holding her stomach. Her eyes weren't focused straight-in fact, she couldn't see.  
  
Wufei prepared to kick the boy silly, bringing his foot back.  
  
"Stop, Wufei." Hiiro, eyes closed, profile leaning against the wall, ordered.  
  
Wufei hesitated, then brought his foot down, calming a bit.  
  
Duo pushed Wufei out of the way and checked Shenji's pulse. He'd been visting two friends; Quatre and Trowa; and had come back here to see Wufei punch Shenji in the stomach. Blood dripped down Shenji's bottom lip and the boy slouched over. "He's out cold, Wufei." Duo said bitterly.  
  
Wufei didn't know whether to be surprised at Duo's tone or the fact that he had finally got his name right. Then, seeing his victory, he headed with Hiiro out to the mess hall. "Let him sit there and think about what'll happen the next time he wants to smart off to me." he snickered, closing the door behind him.  
  
Duo sighed. "Next time you pick a fight, don't pick it with Wufei, or Hiiro. I'm surprised Hiiro even stopped Wufei from finishing you off! Usually, and usually is always, Hiiro just sits back and watches, or doesn't watch." Duo advised and chattered as Shenji came to.  
  
Usagi's eyes focused on Duo and her breathing came shallowly. "I thought you were afraid of me." she whispered hoarsely. She saw a distant look come into Duo's eyes. "Not anymore. You can't even defend yourself." The boy joked. Duo smiled at Shenji. "You must be in a lot of pain. Let me help you into bed."  
  
"No." Usagi said, wincing when she stood. Pain like no other hit her and soreness claimed her body. "I can't wimp out. I want to go eat. Introduce me to your friends. Forget Wufei. When I learn how to fight, he'll get his turn at an ass-whooping." She wiped her mouth.  
  
Duo smiled at Shenji's persistance and supported the weakened boy. "I highly doubt you'll be able to beat Wufei any time soon, but at least you're not giving up."  
  
Laughing, the two friends headed off to lunch.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, that chapter is done. See ya! 


	5. Chapter 4

04:  
  
Over the next few weeks Usagi did her best at the Boot Camp. It was hard. The schedule went something like this:  
  
6:30-7:00, Morning Exercises  
  
7:00-8:30, Weight Training  
  
8:30-9:00, Break fast  
  
9:00-11:55, Weaponry Training  
  
11:55-12:00, Water Break  
  
12:00-12:30, Lunch  
  
12:30-4:35, Hand-To-Hand Combat  
  
4:35-4:40, Water Break  
  
4:40-6:35, Battle Field Education/Strategies  
  
6:35-9:00, Track  
  
9:00-11:55, Training Room(Individual Training)  
  
11:55-12:00, Water Break  
  
12:00, Lights Out  
  
Usually after everyday she keeled over and vomited for all she was worth, then went to bed with the worst of cramps. But that was only for the first few agonizing weeks . . .  
  
By the fifth week, Usagi was doing exceptionally well in all of her classes. No, she wasn't as good as less than half of the boys there, for she had never taken martial arts, had never held a gun, had never even fought a real person hand-to-hand. Still, even though she was barely passing, she was passing nevertheless.  
  
She had made friends with Quatre and Trowa, them besides Duo being the only other boys in the whole Boot Camp to look past what everyone else called her "illness". Even Hiiro didn't seem to care anymore; he just nodded to her in the hall everyday. But, even that small gesture sent flutters to her stomach, yet she hoped to God that she wasn't developing a crush on him. Besides, the same thing happened with Duo, Quatre, and Trowa.  
  
Wufei was still an ass-hole to her, but she decided that in about two more months, she'd excel in her classes and beat the shit out of him--- hopefully.  
  
Usagi would have been failing the Battle Field Education/Strategies class if Quatre hadn't offered to tutor her and Duo in it, so now both were passing with an 88.  
  
All-in-all, besides the pain that accompanied her to bed each night and the head-aches she often got, not to mention the cramps and worries of having her period sometime soon, Boot Camp was exhilarating.  
  
But she was also worried because this was only 1st semester. When 2nd semester came around, the classes would be even harder, and she wasn't anywhere near doing well.  
  
'This has to change,' she thought sadly.  
  
Sometimes after each day, Usagi would, instead of going to bed, sneak out of her dorm room late at night and stare at the stars in the safety of the large tree in front of the Boot Camp. On these nights, Usagi would think of her friends. But mostly, she'd wonder about her future, and ask herself the same question:  
  
'What am I doing here, again?'  
  
~*~*~  
  
Wasn't much to change in this chapter. My next revision will be for chapter nine. See you there! 


	6. Chapter 5

05:  
  
"Shenji! Man, wake up already!" Usagi ignored Duo's endless calls and rolled over, succeeding in falling off of the bunk bed. She hit the ground with a dull thud and growled.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. That was the third time this week Shenji had done that. "It's time for line up, dude. If we're late, most likely we'll end up fighting against someone way too hard to beat, and then serving punishment in the Room."  
  
That got Usagi off of the floor. The Room consisted of a thorough beating with police clubs, then getting whacked around a few times with a few fists and finally duking it out with the hot sun all day in an iron cage. She shuddered. She'd had to go through it too many times the first week of camp because she slacked off.  
  
"I'm up, Duo." She murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes, for it was only 6:00 in the morning.  
  
Duo frowned. "We don't have time for this!" he yelled, grabbing Shenji's arm and pulling.   
  
"Duo! I don't even have my shoes on!" Usagi cried, clad in only a white T-shirt and murky green sweat-pants with white sweat-socks, the usual sleeping outfit.   
  
"Doesn't matter," Duo panted while running down the dorm room stairs and to the back of the camp, where everyone was seated on the grass, Shenji in tow. "Kihono wants us all down there pronto, and we have about three minutes before—"  
  
He was cut off abruptly by a long, silencing bell.   
  
"We're late!" Duo moaned.   
  
Usagi frowned and yanked her arm away from Duo's grasp. She rubbed her wrist. "Who cares? We can just sit in the back."  
  
The plan didn't work as well as the two would have thought, and Usagi ended up getting called out.  
  
"Yes Sir." She yelled.  
  
"Shenji, you're late." Kihono said, smirking. "But since I'm in a semi-good mood today, the Room won't be calling your name,"  
  
"Sir?" Usagi asked, almost smiling.  
  
"If you come up here and fight Hiiro Yui in Hand-To-Hand combat." Kihono continued and smirked. Shenji was bad, he had to admit that, but if he was ever going to get better, this was the way to do it. Hiiro was his best student and the boy wasn't even a senior, more like a freshman.   
  
Usagi visably paled. "S-sir? Hiiro Yui Sir?" she asked, catching the eyes of a laughing Wufei. She frowned. 'Thinks I'll back off, does he?' "Yes Sir!" she hollered, heading up to the front of the crowd of sitting boys. Whispers of surprise arose. Nobody was dumb enough to face off against Hiiro. That was why every time another boy was called to fight him they ended up in the Room for backing off.  
  
Wufei narrowed his eyes. What was Shenji trying to pull? The boy couldn't hold his own against him, nevertheless against Hiiro. As Shenji walked past, he whispered loud enough for the boy to hear, "Keep your eye on his hands."   
  
Was she hearing right? Had Wufei the jerk given her advice? She turned to look at him and nodded curtly. 'Miracles do exist.'   
  
Hiiro bowed his head slightly to his opponent. 'He doesn't know what he's doing.'   
  
Usagi bowed her head slightly, too, and waited for him to make the first move. 'Watch his hands, watch his hands.' she thought, watching his hands. That proved to be good advice because the first thing he did was ball his fist. 'Okay, he's going to punch me so I shouldn't let him—'   
  
Hiiro's fist almost made contact with Shenji's face but she ducked and threw out her leg, tripping him.   
  
'My advantage.' she thought, her other leg catching his jaw bone. 'Damn! Now I've got blood on my sock!'   
  
Hiiro growled. He'd had enough of this. Shenji was up and about to step on his stomach. He rolled away, grabbed Shenji's leg and pulled, bringing the other boy down onto Hiiro's fist.   
  
Usagi felt blood oozing out of her nose and wiped it away. She didn't have time to think when she felt someone punch her deep in her stomach, trip her and kick her sides. 'Is he trying to kill me!' she cried in her mind, trying to roll away.  
  
Hiiro kicked the boy for all he was worth and let off a minute later. Shenji was in a tight ball grabbing his stomach and panting, blood from his nose spilling out onto the ground beside him. "He's finished." Hiiro stated coldly to everyone.   
  
A large amount of cheers started to erupt until someone yelled something above the noise: "Shenji's getting up!"   
  
Indeed, Shenji was getting up.   
  
Usagi breathed calmly, or at least tried to, and hauled herself onto her hands and knees. 'Can't give up. I have to prove myself.' she lifted her head to see a shoe crash into her face, sending her backwards and onto her back. 'I think he broke my nose!' her mind cried in horror.  
  
Hiiro let his foot back down after kicking the boy and watched, confused, while Shenji still tried to move and get up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the blonde, Quatre, closing in. 'Probably wants to help Shenji.'   
  
Usagi clutched her nose and surpressed a moan of pain. She hauled herself up to a weak standing positing, her knees bent. She began to try to walk to Hiiro to finish what they had started but didn't get the chance. 'Kami, knees don't give out now!' too late.   
  
Quatre motioned for Duo to help him when Shenji collapsed, unmoving, onto the cold grass.   
  
Kihono stared in awe at Shenji and nodded for the two boys to take him to the medical station. 'Idiot, he should have stayed down. But, that gives me an idea.' he thought, casting his eyes at Mikoshi.   
  
Mikoshi felt someone staring at her and nodded slowly to Kihono.   
  
As soon as Shenji was taken away cheering for the champ began.   
  
Hiiro didn't feel like being congratulated. 'How the hell did he keep getting up? And why?' As much as he wanted to question himself he turned to face off against his new challenge, forgetting mometarily about Shenji.  
  
*~*~  
  
Usagi moaned aloud, not caring who heard. Something was freezing her nose and her ribs were aching like crazy. "Somebody, get me some drugs." She moaned, opening her eyes when she heard laughter.   
  
"Hey, you all right?" Duo asked, leaning against the door-frame of the medical station.   
  
Quatre walked in, shoving Duo out of the way and took the ice pack off Shenji's swollen nose. "You didn't break it, but it's going to hurt for a week or so. By the way, congratulations."  
  
Usagi stared at the smiling blonde. "On what? I made a complete fool of myself. Then, to make matters worse, I fainted. Fainted! In front of Kihono even! Do you realize my reputation is not only bad, but now worse?"   
  
Quatre was about to speak but Shenji grabbed his collar.  
  
"I'm an abomination!" she ended, letting Quatre's collar go and falling back onto the cot.  
  
Quatre smiled. "I believe you're a legend." He said, wiping dried blood off the boy's face and replacing the cold ice pack on his nose.   
  
Usgai frowned, wincing. "Legend? At what, failure?"   
  
Duo laughed from the door. "Nah. You're the first person to face off against Hiiro and get up. Not only once, but twice."  
  
"Yes, even Wufei would have to respect that." Quatre agreed, standing up.  
  
"Bah! Wufei only respects himself and China, but since I'm neither, I'm not worthy of respect. Not that I care. That stupid baka can keep his damn respect!" Usagi didn't know why she was so angry. Wait a minute, yes she did. "Keep your eyes on his hands, he says. Jerk! Half the time, Hiiro didn't even ~use~ his hands! Where is Chinaboy? Little piece of mincemeat!"   
  
Duo laughed. He cocked his head at the sound of a bell. "That's the bell. You need to sleep. Let's go Q-man."   
  
"You're going to leave me here?" Usagi cried. "What am I supposed to do!"   
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow. "You ~are~ the strange one, Shenji. We'll check back here in an hour. General Kihono and Commander Mikoshi should be here mometarily." He stood to leave.  
  
Usagi reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "Thank you. Really, you didn't have to do this." She smiled up at him, then at Duo. "Ditto for you, Duo."  
  
Both boys looked at one another, surprised, then down at her. Qautre yanked his sleeve, gently, out of her hand and nodded, as did Duo. They were gone a moment later.   
  
"You know," Duo siad as he and his friend walked down the hall to get changed for morning excersizes, "Shenji doesn't act gay."   
  
Quatre nodded. "Just very nice."   
  
Well, there goes another chap. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Hehe, one more and then I have to continue to write! Please review?  
  
~AzurE_chan~ 


	7. Chapter 6

06:  
  
Usagi stared at the ceiling of the medical room for the hundreth time, counting the number of brown splotches. "Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen." The door opened and she whipped her head toward General Kihono and Commader Mikoshi. She smiled pleasantly.   
  
Kihono stared at this bruised boy. "It hurts when you smile, ne?" he asked gruffly.   
  
Usagi's smile faded. 'So this guy is from Japan.' "No sir." She said as loud as she could.   
  
Mikoshi smiled. "You are a very strong boy, Shenji, although I must ask you face-to-face: Are you attracted to other males?"   
  
'Yes.' Usagi thought with a small inward grin. "No ma'am." she replied.  
  
Mikoshi nodded and looked at General Kihono.   
  
"Then why on earth would you tell fellow bunk mates Hiiro Yui, Wufei Chang and Duo Maxwell that you were—attracted to other males?" Kihono demanded.  
  
Usagi smiled at this. "Well, Sir, Wufei thought I looked girly already, so I decided if it'd get him to stop making fun of me, I'd say I was gay. He hasn't made fun of me looking like a girl since."   
  
Mikoshi laughed, surprised. "Very interesting, Shenji."  
  
Kihono narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "So you are prone to lying, boy?"   
  
Usagi raised her eyebrows. 'Dang, talk about tough crowd.' "Uh, no sir. I was ah—only doing what I thought would be ah—proper at that moment." She glanced up at Kihono, who looked even angrier. "Besides!" she protested, whiningly, "he would have KILLED me! I mean literally, because I had an 'illness,' which wasn't even REAL, and I only made it up BECAUSE of Wu-asshole—mind my language—and now everyone HATES me and I—"  
  
"Shut up!" Kihono roared, agitated. He rubbed his temples and growled. "Damn boy talks too much for his own health."   
  
Mikoshi let out a small smile of apology to a now dumbfounded Shenji. "He means 'Refrain from talking.' General Kihono, I think you should explain what exactly we are here for, hm?"  
  
Kihono smirked slightly. "Yes, that's a great idea. Shenji, you're not doing too well here, are you?"  
  
Usagi frowned. Obviously she wasn't doing well at ~all~ here. "No sir, I'm not. But I try really hard—"  
  
"Hey, hey, hey. Stop talking." Kihono glared at the boy, then continued on more lightly. "Commander Mikoshi and I have a plan to get you toughened up a little bit. Extra training! Extensive training! Three hours a day alone with Hiiro Yui."  
  
"WHAT!" Usagi almost fell off of the cot. "Hiiro Yui? Are you crazy? I can't do that! I long to live my life to its fullest, sir!" she squealed, causing the two commanding officers to cover their ears.  
  
"Boy, are you sure you've hit puberty yet? You've got an awfully high voice for a sixteen-year-old!" Kihono yelled above Shenji's ranting.   
  
Usagi closed her mouth abruptly. "Runs in the family. But I'm telling you: I can't train with Hiiro Yui, sir. He's too—I can't." 'Plus, I'd spend the entire time staring at his gorgeous features.' She added silently.  
  
Mikoshi grinned. "Shenji, you don't have a choice." Her grin fell into a smirk. "If you don't train with Hiiro, we'll have you train with Wufei."  
  
"Hiiro then, no discussion needed." Usagi said quickly, willing to do anything withOUT Wufei in it.   
  
Mikoshi laughed a bit and smiled at Kihono, who frowned.   
  
"Well, it's settled then. You'll begin training sessions promptly at 12." Kihono smirked.  
  
Usagi gulped. "12 at night? Like midnight?" she squeaked.  
  
Kihono decided not to comment on the boy's voice and nodded, clenching his fists. "We are not usually this lenient, but you need some serious help if you're going to be of any use as a soldier."   
  
'Soldier.' Usagi smiled. "Yes sir! I promise to do my best and work my hardest. One question, though."  
  
They both looked down at Shenji expectantly.  
  
"Will I," Usgai thought hard to find the right words, brow furrowing in contemplation. "Will I gain respect from my other cadets?" She looked up at her leadership with hope all over her features.  
  
Mikoshi leaned down next to the cot and smiled at Shenji. "Shenji, you know you're our youngest-looking, shortest, most feminine-acting trainee, right?"   
  
Usagi frowned. "I don't understand—"  
  
"You'll only gain respect when you deserve it." Kihono explained, leaning against the doorframe. "Hiiro Yui gets so much respect because he puts his life into his training. You, however," he pointed a finger at the boy and laughed, "you're as lazy as my son back home. You're a coward, you run away when you're supposed to be running toward, and you're barely passing each class, except Battle Field Education/Strategies, and I don't even know how you're passing that." He plunged into his next words. "If you want respect, you better earn it. Second semester is in one month. I better see a big change in you, Shenji, or go home." That said, Kihono nodded to the two people in the room, and left.  
  
Usagi blinked back tears. She couldn't cry in front of Commander Mikoshi. "He's really got faith in me." She grumbled sarcastically, trying to cover up her weakness.  
  
Mikoshi smiled and placed a tender finger on Shenji's nose, like she did for her eight-year-old and home. "You'll grow up, Shenji." She cooed lovingly, like a mother to her child. "And when you do, I promise, everyone will respect you. Until then, you've got to forget the comforts of home, release the old you, and put your heart and soul into this camp. Otherwise, you're useless to us here. Now, get some rest. General Kihono is expecting you at line-up in the morning." She stood again and smiled at Shenji's blushing face, appreciative face. Before she left the medical room, she turned. "Oh, and Shenji?"  
  
Usagi blinked.  
  
"I have faith in you." Mikoshi nodded to the smiling boy and left the room, turning out the lights behind her.   
  
"I have to get better," Usagi decided with finality, pounding the sheets with emphasis. "And Hiiro Yui's going to make sure of that." Peacefully, Usagi fell asleep.   
  
~**~  
  
"Tee he he."  
  
"Shut up, Duo."  
  
"Okay. Tee he he."  
  
"I mean it, Duo."  
  
"Yep, sure, okay. Tee—"  
  
"Quiet. Now."  
  
"'K. Bwahahaha!"   
  
Duo fell off of his cot, writhing in laughter. "Whoo hoo! This is gonna be so fun. Haha, tee hehe!" he rolled around on the ground, clutching his sides.  
  
Wufei and Hiiro observed him with disgust. "Maxwell, I'm glad you find this so amusing. Now would you mind getting up—"  
  
"Imagine Hiiro, training a—training Shenji! Bwahaha! Of all people, Shenji!" Duo felt tears slide down his face and snorted, laughing even more.  
  
Hiiro bristled. "I thought you and Shenji were friends."  
  
"Sure we are! But hell, I wouldn't be alone with him for the world! He admitted he was gay, what other persuasion do I need?" He wiped his eyes and chuckled. "Three hours alone with him. Hey, invite me to the wedding, okay?" he erupted into more laughter.  
  
Wufei smiled. "Duo, be quiet."  
  
Hiiro glared at them both.  
  
"And your kids better not have more than five toes!" He shouted, laughing even more.  
  
Wufei snorted, then hid it with a cough, glancing quickly at Hiiro and hiding, with difficulty, a large smile.   
  
"Duo—" Hiiro began.  
  
"So who would be the guy in the relationship?" Duo questioned through his laughter.   
  
Wufei let out a chuckle, then quickly sneezed.  
  
"Duo, shut up." Hiiro growled, looking around for something to hit the wheezing-laughing boy with.  
  
"And, would you two live in a big house with a—a white p-picket fence?" he coughed from so much laughter, quickly turning red, and purple.  
  
Wufei finally let loose and laughed along with Duo.  
  
Hiiro found a sharpened pencil, then smirked. "I wouldn't be laughing so soon. I can easily refer you both to Shenji."   
  
The room was deadly silent.   
  
Hiiro's smirk deepened and he strolled out of the room, leaving two confused boys behind him.  
  
"Hiiro, you wouldn't!" Duo yelled, swinging around and hitting Wufei in the face with his hair by mistake.  
  
Wufei sputtered. "Maxwell, get your rat-tale out of my face!" He yelled, clawing at the hair.  
  
Duo focused wide eyes on the Chinese boy. "You think he was serious?"  
  
"Well, even if he was, I'm sureyou and him would be happy together." Wufei smirked.  
  
"That was dirty, Wu-man!" Duo whined pitifully.  
  
Wufei grinned. "So are you, but do you see me complaining?"   
  
Duo frowned, suddenly wishing he was with Quatre and Trowa.  
  
Elsewhere, Hiiro stood in the doorframe of the medical center, watching Shenji sleep. He frowned. 'Get ready, boy. I'm putting you through the same hell they put me through.'   
  
And then he smirked.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Another chap! Now I gotta write su'more. Thanks Tenshi Chikyuu! I'm glad you like the story so much!  
  
Thanks everyone else for your reviews!! Individual thanks will happen as soon as I stop being so lazy, hehe!   
  
~Review, pleasE?~  
  
azure_chan 


	8. Chapter 7

Blinks. Closes her eyes. Re-opens them.   
  
63 reviews!!!! Whoa!!! Thank you guys soo much! Wow, you like this story that much!? Hey, that's great! Oh, and I have sumore news! I'm putting my other stories on hold [ although I will continue to write them] and just working on this one! Updates will be whenever I finish a chapter, or don't have too much homework. Don't worry, though. I won't stop updating for like a year, again. -_-;  
  
Welp!!! Thank you guys soo much again!!! You have NO idea of how grateful I am! This is the most reviews I have ever gotten! Now I'm gonna be bouncing and typing! [maybe that's because of this ridiculously large piece of chocolate cake] Fun fun! Anyway, on with the story!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Noticed I hadn't done one in a while and I thought, 'Oh, what the foo, might as well, for old time sakes.' Here goes[ wish me luck]:  
  
Clears throat. Takes a deep breath. Opens her mouth:  
  
THEY AIN'T MINE!!!  
  
Smiles proudly.   
  
07:  
  
  
  
Usagi ran down the bare hallways to get to her room at four in the morning the next day. 'I can't believe I slept for the rest of day yesterday! I hope I don't wake anyone up.' She reached her room and slid inside, then closed the door behind her.   
  
When she turned around again, she blushed.   
  
There was Duo, face flushed, body tucked deep into his blankets, eyes closed, mouth smiling with his boy-ish charm. She swooned and leaned against the door for support.  
  
Then, there was Wufei. So he was a jerk! That didn't mean it wasn't obvious he was a ~cute~ jerk. He was what one called a 'Cerk.' Cute-jerk. Anyway, he was laying on his side, face turned to the door, eyes closed, hair (he always slept with his hair unbound) cascading around his face like a black cloud. His mouth was turned in a slight frown, as usual.   
  
And Hiiro? Ah, Hiiro was so stoic, and quiet, and cold—but he was utterly charming. Wild brown hair, placid blue eyes. Yes, Hiiro was worth drooling over. Hiiro was calm, a professional, and—not even in the room.   
  
Usagi blanched. 'Where is Hiiro? He can't stay awake all night! He's not a darn bat.' She pondered this for a few minutes. 'Okay, so it's a possibility. What if he's a vampire??' She let out a small eep and imagined Hiiro creeping up behind her to steal her precious blood. Flying into her bed and under the covers, Usagi curled into a tight ball and shivered, praying silently that Hiiro wouldn't come into the room and bite her.   
  
Although it ~would~ be very sensual.   
  
::2 hours later::  
  
"WAOOOOOO!!!"  
  
Usagi screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped out of her bed, tripping over something soft and landing flat on her face on the floor. "Damn you, Duo. Damn you to hell." She muttered angrily at the laughter.  
  
"Heh, I been there; found it quite the bore. Anyhow! Good morning!" Duo bounced happily on Shenji's un-made bed, the sound of the boy's scream still shattering his eardrum.   
  
Usagi pushed herself up and rubbed her aching nose. "Ow! I need some ice, baka. Thanks a lot!" She clutched her nose, willing the pain to go away.  
  
Duo only tittered a laugh in return. "Do you," he pointed at Shenji's nose, making the other boy cross his eyes, "know what today is?"   
  
Usagi, dizzy from her eye-crossing, uncrossed her eyes and frowned up at Duo, noticing they were the only two in their room, and letting going of her nose. "What day is it, Duo?" she asked.   
  
"A good one!" He returned, smiling brightly and bouncing up and down on Shenji's bed.   
  
Usagi frowned. "That's what today is? A good day?" she rolled her eyes. "You're on something, aren't you?"   
  
"No," Duo responded, hurt. Then he smiled once more. "Today's a great day. Wanna know why?"   
  
"Because you're going to leave me alone?" she asked dryly.  
  
Duo ignored this. "No-o, because it's SUNDAY!"  
  
Usagi's eyebrows shot up and a grin formed on her face. "Sunday?" the grin slid into a smile. "Today's Sunday? Sleep-in day? Are you sure?"   
  
"You're the one with a calendar; look for yourself." Duo pointed to the white calendar with blue and red stripes all over it on Shenji's wall.  
  
Usagi looked. Sure enough, it was Sunday.   
  
"YESS!" She yelled, hopping back into bed and throwing Duo on the ground. "Don't bother me until breakfast—no, lunch. Scratch that, leave me alone until dinner time! Today I am going to—"  
  
"Train."  
  
Four large, curious, startled eyes went to the solitary figure in the doorway.   
  
"Heya Hiiro!" Duo called, overly loud.  
  
Hiiro ignored the greeting and looked straight at Shenji. "It's already 6:35 now; you've had five extra minutes of rest. Get cleaned up and meet me at the training grounds in ten minutes." And he left.  
  
Silence ensued for a couple of seconds before Duo burst out into laughter.   
  
"I almost forgot Hiiro was training you! Wow, so you guys gonna make-out on the first day or what?" he chided.  
  
Usagi, not welcoming the teasing, sat stock still, staring at the place where Hiiro had just stood. 'Train? Now? On Sleep-in Day?'   
  
"Two words." She stated icily. "Hell. No."   
  
*~*~  
  
Usagi stood, angrily, outside in the vastly cooling weather in murky green sweatpants and a white T-shirt. The bandages were wrapped even tighter around her chest today, accompanying the pain of her hand-gripped, sore arm, and the fall-on-your-butt pain in her posterior end. She blamed one person: Hiiro Yui.   
  
"So are we just gonna stand here or what?" she demanded, hands on her hips.  
  
Hiiro studied Shenji while leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. This was going to take some work, he decided, since Shenji still obviously had the mentality that in his past life he had been a girl.  
  
"Hello!" Usagi yelled, waving her arms around wildly and getting no response. "FINE! If you're just going to stand there like a statue, then I'll go back inside and to bed." She turned her heel to leave.  
  
"Don't move."  
  
His tone was what stopped her. She slowly turned to see Hiiro focusing heated eyes on her, and walking toward her.   
  
"I told you not to move." He stopped in front of Shenji, topping him in about 2 feet.  
  
Usagi frowned, looking up at Hiiro. "Did you want me to keep my butt to you while you spoke? I believe that would be what you'd call rude, Hiiro."   
  
"Sir."  
  
She rose her eyebrows and laughed. "Excuse me?"  
  
Hiiro glared at Shenji. "From now on, you will call me 'Sir', or Commander Yui. Anything else is unacceptable."  
  
Usagi laughed louder. "He wants me to call him 'Sir'! Hah! The next thing you know I'll be doing his laundry." She stopped laughing and grinned. "Get REAL, Hiiro."  
  
The fist stopped right in front of her already swollen nose, tickling the hair that stood between the flesh.  
  
"Gah!" Usagi screeched, backing up and falling on her behind once more. She clutched her nose, even though nothing had happened to it. "Is everyone determined to break my nose today? I mean jeez, you could have seriously done some damage." She glared up at him.  
  
He glared right back, harder, narrowing his eyes. "Shenji, I'm not playing with you anymore. Commander Kihono put me in charge of training you, and I'm going to do just that. You don't like it, leave. Otherwise, get rid of the attitude and straighten up. Second semester will kill you if you don't. Literally kill you." His voice had gone low and dark, warning the other boy he was completely serious.  
  
Usagi's eyes widened and she slowly let go of her nose. 'How can someone look so good and dangerous at the same time?' she wondered, hauling herself up, hesitantly, with fear. "Okay, H—Sir." She said, quietly.   
  
Hiiro nodded in approval. "Now, attack me."  
  
"No!"   
  
Hiiro frowned, clenching his teeth, glaring.  
  
Usagi blushed. "It slipped! Sorry, sorry! I meant no ~Sir~."   
  
"It wasn't a question, it was a command, and it didn't require a yes or no. Now, attack me."  
  
Usagi chewed on her bottom lip. "Why? I don't hate you ~that~ much."   
  
Shenji was stalling, obviously. Hiiro could also pick up a wave of fear and resistance, and something else. Concern? That didn't matter. What ~did~ matter, was that Shenji was disobeying him, which meant that his attitude wasn't gone yet.   
  
"Well, if you won't attack me," he said evenly, "I'll attack ~you~." Hiiro lunged forward at Shenji, fist first, and made contact with the flesh of the other boy's face immediately.  
  
Usagi bit her lip in surprise, biting through the flesh, and fell backward, onto her behind yet ~again~. She held the side of her face tenderly and fought the urge to cry. She'd never get used to being hit. Possibly because she never hit anyone in return, or possibly because it hurt like HELL. Right now, her cheek was aching, her lip was pulsating, and the taste of blood was vomit-prone to her stomach.  
  
"Get up." Hiiro cracked his knuckles. "We haven't even begun yet."  
  
"I think we've finished already. I wanna go inside!" she pitifully whined, her voice cracking at the very end of her sentence.  
  
Hiiro's eyebrows furrowed. Was Shenji going to cry? Well, it wouldn't be the first time.   
  
Usagi felt hot tears slide down her face in shame. Her cheeks were flaming red and her heart was beating fast. But she didn't care. She was in pain! "Hiiro," she whimpered through her tears, "I want to go inside!"  
  
"Then go."  
  
His tone was one of utter disgust, she noted. That made her tears come faster, and harder, until she was trying to stifle her cries, and doing a horrible job at it. "I—I'm s-s—"  
  
"You're a failure, that's what you are." He growled, his voice trying desperately not to yell, and failing. "I don't understand why you're even here! It's obvious to every single person in this camp that you can't make it here. You can't toughen up, you whine, you act like small child; basically, you sicken me. You sicken Commander Kihono. You're pretty much the prime example of everything that someone in the world should ~not~ be. You think I'm being cruel?" he yelled over Shenji's loud, sincere bawling.   
  
"You just wait until, no, ~if~, you actually make it past first semester. You get into second semester, and the upperclassmen will kill you. They'll taunt you, laugh at you, push you, pick on you—you'll basically be their number one joke. I pity you, Shenji, and it's even more than that. You want to know how I feel? I feel towards you the way a small child would feel towards a sickly dog." His voice had risen drastically to past the yelling point, and he briskly turned to leave Shenji to his sobbing party, spitting on the ground in complete and thorough loathing of the boy.   
  
Usagi curled into a ball on the cold ground and cried. Cried as the winds picked up and it began to sprinkle. Cried as the trees moaned and it began to pour. Cried for herself. Cried because she was still a baby. Cried because she couldn't make it here. But mostly, cried because she was wrong.  
  
And that's how he found her, in a tight, secure, soaking wet ball.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
::peeks out from behind her couch:: Sorry guys! But I just HAD to make Hiiro the evilest man of all time in that part! Oh, and I'm not tellin who "he" is yet, hehehe. You gotta wait till the next chapter, when I DECIDE to get off my homework-doing butt and write the next chapter in. hahaha!   
  
So how'd everyone like this one? I can't believe I got 63 reviews, either! Thank you guys sooo much! You don't know HOW happy this makes me! Really!   
  
Just to prove it, here ya go:  
  
Tenshi Chikyuu: Well thank you so much! Whoops, I promise to make it longer, just for you hehe! By the way, can you tell me how to make up my personal profile? I dunno how! Wahh! Thanks for wishing me a great day! That was nice! Ditto for you ^^  
  
Starfury3000: Hehe, I promise, I'm hurrying!  
  
(_hot_chick_1231@excite.com): WOW! Nobody's ever LOVED my fics before! Thank you!  
  
Ann-chan: Hehe, I like the word "fwee". Don worry, I'm updating—right now even!  
  
TyBass3: So polite—said "pretty please" hehe. I will update pretty soon, I pwomise!  
  
Lireal: You're absolutely right about Usa's period. It is impossible to go without it for months or so, ~unless~ she was in extreme condition and/or environment. Since Usa is pretty much training/running/being winded all day, it's causing her period to be delayed. Hey, my cousin is a doctor, so I get this stuff from her. If I'm wrong, BLAME MICHELLE!!! [my cousin] Thanks for your review!  
  
  
  
Person: Lol, I never get enough sleep in eight hours either! I know, I'm so evil. I dunno if anyone can survive on 6 hours of sleep—but I know that when I was at camp, we had to learn how to! Ugh, the torture!  
  
Lady Light: Why, thank you! Yup, I plan on continuing.  
  
Neo-Queen Serenity: I must say I like your nickname! Neo-Queen is just such a cool word! Hehe, I thought the gay thing was a bit interesting, too. I'm glad you thought the last scene was hilarious, because I was trying to add a bit of humor to my story. Hehe, thank you! Now I can write funny stuff—kinda.  
  
Tanya Dinocrisis01: Sure thing! I'll continue! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Orion: AHH!! I like your name too! Orion is sooo cool—hehe, anyway. Yes, poor Usagi—and there's more bad, I mean uh—difficult stuff to come hehe!  
  
Lilyan Yui: Uh oh, married to Hiiro himself, eh? Lucky dog. Anyway, thanks! I'm glad you think this is awesome! Hehe, I try, I try.   
  
And to everyone else, a great big hug and thankies to you all!!!   
  
~azure_chan~. 


	9. Chapter 8

Hi! I guess I should explain to you all that this story is BEFORE the guys ever became Gundam Pilots. They have all gone through training before this [Hiiro was only about 8, 9, or 10 when asked to become a Gundam Pilot by Dr. J, as was Duo] with their doctors, and this is like the final training course before they can become pilots!! Whew, sorry for any confusions!!!  
  
Oh yeah—HOLY COW!!!! Are you serious?? 82 reviews?? YAY!!! Thank you!!!   
  
Disclaimer: Neither Sailormoon nor Gundam Wing belong to me. Now, if you want to hop into my ~mind~, however: YES, THEY'RE ALL MINE!!!  
  
Well, here we go:  
  
08 (the one you've all been waiting for!!!)  
  
Recap:  
  
Usagi curled into a ball on the cold ground and cried. Cried as the winds picked up and it began to sprinkle. Cried as the trees moaned and it began to pour. Cried for herself. Cried because she was still a baby. Cried because she couldn't make it here. But mostly, cried because she was wrong.  
  
And that's how he found her, in a tight, secure, soaking wet ball.  
  
Present:  
  
His eyes wandered over the small boy in something akin to wonder and curiosity while he clutched the cloth. Suddenly, the boy lifted his head up and scared eyes met completely calm ones.  
  
Usagi hugged her knees tighter to her chest and blinked through the rain. The sun was just beginning to turn the sky gray, and she was cold—but that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that if she got up, her shirt would cling to her like a second skin, the bandages would be clearly shown and her cover as a guy would be ruined.   
  
He threw a towel down to the boy. "Shenji, wasn't it?" he asked.  
  
Usagi gratefully accepted the towel, wrapping it tightly around her upper half. "And you are--?"  
  
"Not important right now. Come inside." He extended a hand to Shenji, pulling the boy up with a slight tug.  
  
Usagi, amazed at the strength of this boy, wobbled a bit, but stood firm a moment later.   
  
"Follow me."   
  
It was a gentle, simple command, and she heeded it readily yet nervously. It was as if this boy could feel her fear of him. But why was she so afraid of him anyway? 'Something inside me just calls out to him, but at the same time it pushes away alarmingly.' She followed him nevertheless.   
He led Shenji inside and out of the pelting rain, and into his dorm. "Sit." He pointed to the bottom bunk while closing and locking the door.  
  
They were alone in his room. Usagi still didn't even know his name! For all she knew he could be trying to get her into trouble or something. Besides, she wanted to sleep and let her bruise heal up. Her nose hadn't even done that yet.   
  
"Why were you training with Hiiro?" He figured he'd get right into the point, sitting in a chair across from the shivering boy.  
  
Usagi shrugged. "Because." She was trying to act unafraid, but that was hard to do with loud sirens of alarm going off in her ear. Something was clearly trying to tell her to GET OUT OF THAT ROOM.  
  
He nodded. "Well, would you mind answering me another question?" He folded his hands in his lap.  
  
Usagi nodded, planning to evade it like the last one.  
  
"Why do you have bandages around your upperbody?"   
  
She froze. Her hands clenched the towel even tighter while she swallowed. 'Come on Usa, make something up!' "I have a breathing problem. The um, bandages, they tighten around my chest and make the air passage more round, so that air can go into my lungs. I was born with a squar-ish trachea. Asthma." 'Good! That'll throw him off.' She smiled.  
  
He nodded once more. "You know, you're a terrible runner."  
  
"What!" she yelled. "I'm a great runner! What are you talking about?" If there was one thing she was good at here, it was running. Fastest runner in her class.  
  
He smiled slightly. "Have you ever come in first place?"  
  
"Yes! I do it all the time!" she replied defensively.  
  
"Ah. Then the other runners must run exceedingly slow."   
  
Her eyes flared, her temperature sky-rocketed. "What the hell did you just say? The other runners run extremely fast, thank you very much! I'm probably the only person in this camp who could run as fast as them!" Now she was overdoing it, but she really ~was~ a fast runner.  
  
Now, he smiled brightly. "And yet no one respects someone such as yourself? I can just see your plaque now: Faster than anyone in the world. Even guys."   
  
Usagi smiled as she pictured the plaque. "Yup, sounds good to me." She sat back.  
  
Now, his eyes narrowed. "Might I pry once more into your life?"   
  
She noticed the change and nodded slowly, something making her heart beat speed up and her hands clench the sheets again.  
  
"Why are you lieing to me?"  
  
There it was. Her mouth dropped and she coughed. "What? When—"  
  
"You said you had a breathing problem. Asthma, I think—no, you said Asthma. That would have explained the bandages around your chest, yet once I began regarding your running as bad, you forgot what you told me and proceeded to explain to me about what a wonderful runner you are. I must agree; you're the fastest runner in your class.  
  
"I believe I also commented about what kind of plaque you should have. Now, listen closely to what I said: Faster than anyone in the world. ~Even~ guys. That would lead me to my next, and final, conclusion. Either you wish to be a female, or you ~are~ one."   
  
She just kept shaking her head as her tears fell from her eyes. 'How could he have known? What did I do?' Whatever it was, it was bad. 'I'm so stupid! This is just like you, Usagi! Just like you to be such an IDIOT! Just like you to forget everything because of your damned pride! You're such a coward, a failure; you'll NEVER amount to ANYTHING in this world! You should have just died when your mother did! You couldn't even make the person you loved to death keep loving you! He had to go find it in some other girl!'   
  
He continued to watch, hands folded in his lap, while she cried, obviously unaware that she was speaking these harsh, cruel words aloud. Her hands were bunched fists, pounding on the bed with a fervent loathing.   
  
She kept her eyes shut while her tirade of anger continued, spilling out of her and exhausting her to the maximum. "I hate you!" she finally screamed, aiming the words at herself. "I hate me! I just—HATE ME!" And she began to shake violently, breathing quickened with her crying. She coughed up saliva, straining to breathe while painful sobs choked her throat.  
  
Eyes littered with sympathy, he reached forward and clasped her shaking shoulder softly.   
  
She jerked, opened her eyes and stared into his. Immediately shame made her want to turn away and hide, but he grabbed both of her shoulders and focused her whole body toward his. She lifted her chin and looked into his eyes while hot tears left steamy trails down both cheeks. She hiccup-cried and brought her hands to her face, trying to hold down her emotions.  
  
He let go of her, sat back in his chair and smiled as she fought to control herself. "Now." He said after she had quieted down considerably. "Let's talk."  
  
"I don't want to talk." She said sourly, her voice broken and hurt. "I just want to die."  
  
"Talk first. Maybe I can change your mind."   
  
"Why would you want to?" she retorted, staring at him with heat in her glassy eyes. "You already proved I'm a girl—a stinking liar not worth living." She dropped her eyes.  
  
He tapped his chin. "Those words never once came out of my mouth. Why are you degrading yourself?"  
  
She made no move to answer and only curled into a ball, dropping her head between her knees.   
  
"Is it because of something that happened before you came here?"   
  
Ignoring him, Usagi sniffled and felt a tear drop onto her leg.  
  
"Or is it because that is how you truly feel?" He saw he would get no answer from her and sighed slightly. "Well, you can ignore me as long as you'd like. I won't reveal your secret."   
  
She snapped her head up in confusion. "What? Why?" she stammered, dropping her arms to her sides and uncurling.   
  
He chuckled. "It's not my place, nor my business, to tell. I suspect that if I had not looked into this, I would not have known you were a female."  
  
She nodded, still confused. "But aren't you supposed to tell General Kihono when something like this happens? If they find out I'm a girl—"  
  
"They won't. Not unless you want them to." He gave her a mysterious smile.  
  
A side of her lip lifted, then dropped. A false smile. "What do you mean? Of course I don't want them to, but how can I keep it a secret?" She sniffled. "You've seen me ever since I got here: I'm girlish in everything I do! I can't be a guy—"  
  
"Who said you had to?" Again that smile.  
  
She frowned. "You're not making any sense."   
  
"You're not making any move to understand." He countered.  
  
Usagi blinked, thoroughly dumbfounded. "Understand what? Have you noticed this is an ALL BOY'S military camp? I'm not a boy."  
  
"True. But neither is Commander Mikoshi." He pointed out.  
  
She frowned even deeper. "No duh. But Commander Mikoshi is like the assistant of General Kihono."  
  
He smiled. "And how do you think she got that position? Through whining and disobediance?"  
  
"No." she said slowly, a light flickering on and off in her mind.  
  
"No." He confirmed. "She got that position through hard work, training, and dedication. Have you noticed you have done none of the above since you've been here?"  
  
She dropped her eyes. "Leave me alone. I can't do anything. I'm a failure."   
  
He shrugged. "You can let yourself out. But I do have some advice for you."   
  
She looked up. "Leave?"  
  
"No, push yourself. General Kihono has this one saying: 'Stop warming the seat.' Commander Mikoshi was probably just like you when she started her training. And believe me, if you think the girl's military camp is any easier, you're mistaken. And you obviously believed you could make it here if you signed up for the ~boy's~ military camp." He smiled.  
  
Usagi let out a small giggled. "Yeah, I guess. What are you saying?"   
  
He stood, pulling her up. "That you can succeed here. Just try. Go find Hiiro and continue your training with him."  
  
Usagi stood too. Yes, she COULD do it here! Commander Mikoshi wasn't any better than her when she had first started: Usagi could prove herself! "Thank you." She said sincerily, whirling around to hug the boy.   
  
A pink tint came upon his cheeks and he patted her back softly.   
  
She let go of him and smiled, noticing she had dried considerably to the point where the shirt was damp, hanging off of her but concealing her breasts. "Can I sit with you at lunch?" she asked hopefully. "I never eat in the lunchroom anymore. I don't have any friends in there, and I can never find Duo."   
  
He nodded. "I sit in the very back with a few—others. Join us any time." He turned her around and unlocked the door.   
  
Usagi opened the door and almost left, but turned suddenly, only after making sure no one else was in the hallway. "My name is Usagi, by the way. You can call me that when we're alone or something. What's yours?"  
  
He took the door handle in his hand and smiled lightly.   
  
"Trowa." And he closed the door.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
How many of you knew it was going to be Mr. Barton [or Bloom, whichever you prefer] himself! Hehe, well, at least I found a way to add him into the story!!!  
  
Oh, and sorry all about the chapter 7 mix-up. I did it myself and it told me the same thing: There is no chapter 7. I dunno why, it just did that. Anyhow, it's all fixied up now! Oh, and some of you had some questions and suggestions too:  
  
Kimeno-pebols: Yes, I agree: Hiiro's a meanie! But then again, people change, ne? Not saying that Hiiro will—but I'm not saying he won't either hehehe  
  
Celestial DreamBlaze: I liked all of your reviews! And I will try to be more in-depth with Usagi's feelings and stuff. I tried to do that in this chapter; can you tell? Thanks for reviewing, and keep on with more suggestions and stuff! I'm all ears!  
  
(_hot_chick_1231@excite.com): I know, I'm so cruel! ~whines~ but I'm sowy! I'll be nicer just as soon as I can! Or maybe I'll continue to be the writer that every character loathes, just for fun—hmm. Thanks for reviewing!!! ~ja  
  
FaIrY AspHoDeL: First off, what does your name mean? Lol, it's cool, but I was like 'Wow!' Asphodel is beyond me—in other words, your name rocks! Secondly, thanks for your comment! I'm trying as hard as possible to make this original hehe! Thanks again, what you said lifted my spirits!  
  
DaughterofDeath: Will do, and thanks for reviewing!!  
  
Hey: Hey yourself! Hehehe, I can't wait to read more either—just as soon as I write it! Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Tenshi-Chikyuu: Ha ha ha! I AIN'T TELLIN WHO HE IS—yet. Anyhow, sure I'll e-mail ya! You know, I'm so lucky I have a friend like you who always gives me HINTS instead of asking [hint, hint]. Mwahaha lol, see ya soon! Thanks for reviewing too!!!   
  
Furie: Nah, Duo's too playful to train himself lol. But thanks for your suggestion, I'll make sure Usagi and Duo do something together, just for you!!! ~ja  
  
Ishtar: Mwahaha!!! So it WAS a cliffie!!! Yay!!! Lol, maybe I should just not review and make you wait and wait for my next chapter. Lol, just kidding! Thank you for reviewing!!!  
  
Moon: I think Zechs is still a bad guy while this training camp is going on. This is before the guys ever became Gundam Pilots. You reminded me I needed to explain that, thank you!!!  
  
Lireal: I agree—Usagi is too lucky! I should make her have her cycle just to be mean! JOKING! ::quickly hides from (_hot_chick_1231@excite.com):: Nah, I've been mean enough, eh? Anyhow, the lil voice in your head is very persuasive. Haruka is already being planned in future chapters!!! Thanks for your review!!! ~ja  
  
Alexz: I like the way you spell your name! Thanks for saying this was a great chappie! Hehe, I like the word chappie! Thanks again for reviewing ^^   
  
And to all you otherssses out there:: THANK'S A PICKLE-BUNCH!!!  
  
~azure_chan~ Review!!! 


	10. Chapter 9

Ah!!! 103 reviews!!!! Omiohmy!!!! Thank you guys soo much!!! I'm gonna do something extra special for you people one day!!!  
  
I've come to a conclusion. Here it is: I haven't opened polls for couple voting, have I? WHOOPS on my part! Well, hehe, they're open now!!! Review with anybody you want Usagi to be coupled with, ranging from Treize himself, all the way to Zechs---and you know who the in-betweeners are. If you don't, they're Duo, Wufei, Quatre, Trowa, and Hiiro. Sadly, no Yuri. Maybe one day I'll get the courage [and stability] to write a Yuri fic. Well, actually, the only Yuri couple in this story is Haruka and Michiru, hehe.  
  
OH YEAH!!! This is probably going to be an out of whack chapter, but I had to put it somewhere!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I hereby announce that neither Gundam Wing nor Sailormoon---oh, I can't do it.  
  
This is the revised version of chapter 9!!! Enjoy!!!  
  
09:  
  
Usagi stared at his closed door a moment longer, then turned to her room, standing right across the hall. Rubbing her cheek absentmindedly, she entered her dorm room slowly, cautiously. Hiiro just had to be there!  
  
He saw the doorknob turning before the door slowly swung open. Once the person behind the door revealed himself, he scowled and looked away.  
  
"Hiiro, I know you're mad at me." Usagi began, closing the door behind her. "But I want you to keep training me." She dropped her hand from her face and stood, taking in his reaction with caution.  
  
Was he hearing straight? He looked at Shenji. The boy's left side of his face was purplish with a bruise spreading to his eye, which was now turning a deep blue-ish black. His work, of course. Shenji's nose was the color dirty purple and black, swelling having gone down a bit.  
  
"You want me to train you?" He asked incredulously. Here was Shenji, the boy who cried, not cried wolf. "You ~want~ me to train you?"  
  
Usagi frowned. "I know you heard me the first time. Now, if we're going to shape me up or whatever, I want to do it some place out of the rain." That way, her shirt wouldn't cling to her and give her secret away.  
  
"You want me to train you in the gym, where other people can see?" He asked, more disbelief in his voice than ever. He almost grinned happily at Shenji's slow nod. "Well then, let's go." He jumped down off his top bunk.  
  
Usagi smiled. "You mean you'll do it? Just like that?"  
  
Hiiro smirked. "Yes, but I'm not going to go easy on you. In fact, I think I'll make it even harder for you, just because you're---young."  
  
"You mean because I'm a wimp?" Usagi asked, trying to control her temper while Hiiro led them to the gym.  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
"But you meant it!"  
  
Silence.  
  
"But I didn't say it."  
  
"So? That's just as bad! Hiiro, you're a jerk!"  
  
"Define the meaning."  
  
Usagi stopped walking. "You ~know~ the meaning! Your social life isn't ~that~ bad!"  
  
"I wasn't aware there was such a thing in a Boot Camp." He smirked, keeping his back to Shenji while he walked. It was at rare times the boy could actually be cheeky like this.  
  
Usagi ran to catch up with Hiiro, who hadn't dented his stride. "You know what you are? You're a-a pig!"  
  
"And ~you're~ starting to sound like a woman."  
  
Dead silence.  
  
Usagi swallowed. "Well-"  
  
"We're here." He walked into the gym where training commenced with other boys of older and younger ages.  
  
Usagi growled. "I hate the way you just cut me off sometimes!" she yelled after him, stepping into the gym.  
  
And that's when the taunting began.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"I don't like this." Kihono said stubbornly, determined not to agree with one single thing his woman said.  
  
Mikoshi scowled. "Who cares if you like it or not, this is life! Deal with it."  
  
"How can some child be ruler over us? They need a Queen, not a pretty-in- purple princess." He crossed his arms.  
  
"It's pretty-in-pink, and she's perfect. She'll be Queen soon enough. She just has very distinct views of peace." Mikoshi explained as calmly as she could.  
  
Kihono turned the television off and focused angry eyes on the two others in the room. "What are you two doing here?"  
  
Mikoshi looked at her husband sharply. "Kihono, they have names. Stop acting like a baby."  
  
"Why do I always have to act like a baby whenever I say something important?" He demanded.  
  
Mikoshi rolled her eyes. "Excuse him-"  
  
"And that's another thing!" He roared. "Why are you always excusing me? I'll excuse myself when I need to be excused [lol, got that from a play], and this is not one of those times! Damnit--!" He stood to leave the room. "Excuse me!" And left.  
  
Mikoshi rubbed her temples. "Please, sit down. He'll be back when he cools off."  
  
They sat.  
  
"Now, I didn't catch your names?" Mikoshi smiled pleasantly.  
  
She smiled back. "Rei Hino. This is Rini." She nodded to the small black- haired girl who couldn't be any older than one or two.  
  
Mikoshi nodded, checking the papers in front of her. "And you say you know Shenji Tsukino?"  
  
Again Rei nodded, and Rini tugged her sleeve. "Now?" she smiled up, secretly, at Rei.  
  
Rei smiled down at Rini with the same secret smile. "In a bit, baby." She said, soothingly.  
  
Mikoshi smiled warmly and handed the woman a card. "This is his dorm room number. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."  
  
Rei stood, picking the little Rini up, and left the office, bidding her good-byes to Mikoshi.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Usagi stood in the middle of a circle of boys. Correction, in a huge circle of boys (every body in the gym) who were laughing at her, taunting her, and jarring at her.  
  
Hiiro stood to the side taking in the whole scene, and Duo was arguing with about five boys at a time.  
  
She sighed, trying hard not to break down. She held her head high, wishing for a miracle.  
  
And it came.  
  
"What the HELL is going on!" A shrill, feminine voice broke through the loud uproar of laughter and taunting, making the whole gym murmur with wonder.  
  
"Stop!" came another voice, squeakier and younger than the first.  
  
Usagi recognized those voices all too well.  
  
"Rei! Rini!" she couldn't help but yell, trying hard to keep her voice under hysterics. How . . . ? It was impossible!  
  
Rei let Rini down to the floor before giving her a look that said: 'Showtime!'  
  
"Oh Shenji!" Rei cried, running to the dumbfounded teenager in a drastic bound. With one steady leap she landed in Usagi's arms, hugging the other girl close.  
  
Usagi yelped and tried backing up, but felt a tickle in her ear: "Work with me, Meatball Head." She stared down at Rini, with not pink-but BLACK hair!  
  
"R-Rini?" she choked out, confused.  
  
Rini smiled devilishly. "DADDY!" she yelled, hopping happily into the embrace of her 'family.'  
  
"Daddy!?" Usagi repeated, finally pushing Rei and Rini off of her and backing up in horror. What the hell had gotten into them? And why were they HERE?  
  
The whole gym of boys looked back and forth between the scene that continued to unfold.  
  
"Oh, Shenji!" Rei yelled, walking up to Usagi in mock anger, fake tears in her eyes. With one powerful hand, she smacked Usagi.  
  
Usagi, too stunned to even clutch her cheek in pain, gasped. "Rei-"  
  
"You didn't know I was pregnant, did you?" Rei sneered coldly, Rini sniffling in false sorrow behind her legs. "Well look at her! She's your CHILD!" Rei thrust her hand at Rini, accusation in her eyes.  
  
Usagi coughed. "What are you TALKING about, Rei?" she yelled, unable to control the mixed emotions of outrageous confusion on her face.  
  
"I'm talking about the sixth grade Prom Night!" Rei yelled back, her voice cracking. "That night we-well, you know. I got pregnant! And then you came to this place and forgot all about me! I had your child!"  
  
The gym erupted into confusion, sputtering here and there about Shenji and the 'Hot chick.'  
  
Duo had since fallen cold from a headache of confusion, and Wufei had joined the party.  
  
"What Prom Night? Rei-"  
  
"Don't talk!" Rei yelled, swiping Rini up into her arms. "Just leave me alone!"  
  
Rini, figuring this was her big act, began to scream out in tears. She put on a show, falling limp in Rei's arms and sobbing her heart out.  
  
Usagi clutched her head, pulling her hair out. Finally, she screamed, grabbed Rei's wrist, and pulled her out of the gym, slamming the door behind her.  
  
"My dorm, now!" Usagi spat, pushing them both towards her dorm room.  
  
Once there, Usagi opened the dorm door, pushed the laughing females inside, and locked the door. She turned around. "What are you two doing here?" she gripped the doorknob handle hard.  
  
Rei smiled. "We missed you, Meatball Head."  
  
"Yah!" Rini giggled. "You can't just give up your rights to being a Queen of Crystal Tokyo. My mommy-"  
  
"Is in the future, where you should be." Usagi snarled, running her hand down her face. "Setsuna said you guys lost your memory of me. How then are you both here?"  
  
Rei sat down on a bunk bed and Rini cuddled up next to her. "No one else but me and Rini know who you are. Setsuna was going to take our memories away, but she foresaw this in the future. And we've come to tell you something . . ." Rei looked away, pain suddenly swarming her eyes.  
  
Rini clutched her chest and felt real tears coming on.  
  
Usagi, sensing everything, bent down to their level. "Guys, what happened?" she asked softly.  
  
Rei sighed. "We were stripped of our powers. Setsuna said that if you weren't the leader anymore, then we weren't strong enough to be senshi. Everything has gotten so---human. Some people have taken over our home, Usagi. They've started calling it L1, a colony. They make these huge machines---worse than any nega creep I've ever battled before."  
  
"Puu's gone." Rini added, sniffling. "Hotaru left, too. And Haruka. And Michi. They all went with Puu. They said they were going to try and make everything better. They've been gone since Mamoru died. We haven't seen or heard from them since."  
  
Usagi was crying by now. "H-how could this happen? What did I do wrong, again? What about the others? Ami? Makoto? Minako?" She looked up. "Please tell me they're okay."  
  
Rei smiled sadly. "Makoto's gone, too. She wanted to help with what they're calling a 'war'. She joined the Alliance. Minako and Ami are living with me in my temple. Their parents are also with the Alliance."  
  
"What's this Alliance? Mako joined it? Oh shit, where is she?" Usagi breathed, but couldn't seem to get any air into her lungs. Suddenly, she cried harder. "W-what about my family? My mom? My dad? Shenji? What about them?"  
  
Rini only cried harder, too.  
  
Rei felt tears slip down her face. "We tried to save them, Usagi. We tried so hard---the Alliance---"  
  
"I don't want to know." Usagi said, her voice suddenly cold. 'The Alliance took my parents, and my brother. They took my friends and everything I care about. The Alliance is my enemy.'  
  
Rei sniffled. "Usagi, that's why we came here. Usagi, you have to come home with us! The only way the senshi can come back is if you're there to lead us! Please-"  
  
"No." She stood. "I'm not going home, Rei. But I think you should." Her heart was breaking in two at how icy she was being, but it was the only way. If she went home now, she wouldn't be strong enough to help anyone. She had to make it through this camp first.  
  
Rini sobbed. "Usagi, why? I thought you'd understand. We need you! Please, just come home!"  
  
"No."  
  
Rini held out her arms for a hug. "Mama . . ."  
  
Tears slid down Usagi's face as Rini called out to her. She shook her head, her own voice breaking. "No, Rini. I'm not your Mama right now. Maybe in the future, but not now. You have to go home with Rei." She clenched her fists.  
  
Rei closed her mouth as soon as she had opened it and stood, pulling Rini up with her. She hugged the crying girl close. "Detransform." She said softly.  
  
Rini's hair began to flicker between black and pink, and finally settled on pink. Her features changed and she became older. Seven years older.  
  
'So,' Usagi thought, 'they were using the Disguise Pen.' She grabbed Rini and hugged her. "I'm sorry, Rini. I just have to stay here for a while longer. Then I'll come home and take you places, and we can argue like old times, okay?"  
  
Rei took Rini from Usagi and smiled sadly. "I wish-" she searched for words. "I wish this could have gone better. Goodbye, Usagi." She nodded to the blond and in a moment, vanished from the room in thin air.  
  
Usagi held back her tears of guilt, screaming at herself on the inside. 'How could I have thought that my leaving wouldn't affect anybody? How could I have been so---so stupid!'  
  
She stood straight and firm, scolding herself. 'Crying will get you no where. Control yourself, Usagi. Crying is for those without control.' She wiped her eyes, which were probably red. Then, she walked out of the room to continue her training.  
  
Only, now she had a reason to train.  
  
Usagi was going to bring down the Alliance.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Oh, I told you it was gonna be a weird chapter! I know, you're thinking 'where the heck did all this come from?' All will be tied together in later chapters! Oh, and Usagi doesn't know the Alliance is the good side.  
  
Okay, before you say that Rei can't get pregnant as a 12-year-old, look it up. If you're an early bloomer (look that up, also. And I'm not talking about breasts, either) you can get pregnant as young as 10. Therefore, Rini, in this chapter, is two. In the SM reality she's supposed to be 9. Get it? Got it? Good.  
  
SerenityLNguyen: Lol, my story is God? Nah, He's so much better. Oh, and I don't have an e-mailing list, lol, I dunno what that is, actually. I'll just continue to post as soon as the chapter's done, how's that? Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Lireal: Lol, your little scenes with that voice in your head are comical. One of these days, though, I hope I don't see you two physically fighting!! Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Alexz: Aw, thank you! Oh, and you're very welcome. Is that really how your name is spelled? Lol, way cool!!! Hope you liked this chap!!  
  
Cassie-bear01: Your name is sooo cute!! I wuv it!!! Lol, and you squeal too!! So adorable!! Loadyness isn't a word, sadly, but I'd probably make up something like it, so hey, it's cool by me!!! Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Bonnie: You're smart!!! Oh, and keep voting for Trowa/Usa if you really want them togetha. Hehe, I just might be persuaded to do something totally different! Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Lady Light: Lol, you don't sound like a teacher to me, don't worry. Trowa is coming!! Trowa ~is~ coming!  
  
Moon Smurf: Yah, Trowa's a sweetie. Lol, the happy dance? Haha, I wonder if I could do it. Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
FaIrY AspHoDeL: Ah, a flower. Pretty pretty!! Hehe, you vote who you want her to end up with!! Thanks for your review!!! Oh, and I'm gonna check out your story right now---well, after I finish writing my thank you's lol.  
  
A Friend: Thank you! I don't think Usagi is going to be a sailor scout in this story because of all that has happened. But then again, I just type whatever comes to my mind, so one day they could be there lol. Thanks for your review!!  
  
Yaoi no Hime: Hehe, you vote on the pairing. So far, I've been getting many Trowa/Usa requests, so keep on voting!  
  
MarsMoonStar: Thank you!!! Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Celestial DreamBlaze: Thank you! You'll find out who Trowa hangs with soon enough hehe. Thanks for reviewing!!! I still love your reviews!!!!  
  
Water Angel: Ohmigoodness!!! Your name is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much for reviewing!!! And thank you for your compliments!!! AnD----I wuv your name!!!  
  
BayDen: Thank you soo much!!! Yes, I love Trowa too!!! I think this is the first story I've written where he's a big part of it lol. Thank you again!!!!  
  
Tenshi-Chikyuu: I think the torch scene was darling!!! Thank you for reviewing!!! Whoops, I still need to e-mail you, ne? Have a wonderful day!!!  
  
And thanks to all others!!!! I still can't believe I got 103 reviews!!!! AHH!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!  
  
K, I'm gonna make a deal witcha. Since you got me 103 reviews, I'm going to do something for you all [pertaining to the story lol] but you gotta tell me what you want!!! Anything that I can do, I'll do it!!!  
  
::huggles::  
  
~azure_chan 


	11. Chapter 10

Hi guys!!!! You all are really sweet, giving me aaaaaaaalll these reviews. I feel so special!!   
  
Anyhow, I've been eating chocolate, watching a movie, and talking too much, so I'm suddenly feeling drowsy—but I will write for you guys nevertheless!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Can you keep a secret? Good, so can I. [That has got to be my favorite quote of all time now!!!]   
  
Enjoy!!  
  
10:  
  
As soon as she walked into the gym, the questions rang out.   
  
"I thought you were gay, man!"  
  
"Who WAS that girl?"  
  
"You married?"  
  
"You got a kid?"  
  
"Hey, I knew you were straight all along."  
  
"Gimmie her digits!"  
  
"She got any friends?"  
  
Usagi ignored most of them, scowling at some and waving others off in disgust. She would never understand, nor try to understand, the way a male thought. She pushed her way through the crowd of yapping boys, succeeding in finding a slightly miffed Hiiro Yui.  
  
He clicked his tongue. 'So here he is, Mister Tsukino himself.' He almost grinned. 'He's not gonna live this one down.'   
  
Usagi stopped in front of Hiiro, covering her ears at the noise and yelling above it: "Can we train somewhere less—crowded?"   
  
Hiiro gave a slight nod. He pushed himself off of the wall and began to glare, signaling for quiet. Once the gym was considerably less noisy, he spoke: "Get out. We're training. Don't bother us."  
  
"Or what!" Someone randomly yelled.  
  
Hiiro pinpointed him immediately. "Or I'll shoot you with the General's favorite gun. Now leave."   
  
Some left grudgingly, some left angrily, some even left happily—nevertheless, they ~left~.   
  
Usagi blew out a cloud of happiness and smiled. "Ready to commence our—"  
  
"Whoa, whoa, slow your speed, dude!"   
  
Usagi groaned. "Duo—"  
  
"Don't you Duo me!" He yelled, walking up to them in a state of semi-consciousness. "Don't ~you~ Duo ~me~. What was ~that~!"   
  
Hiiro frowned. "Everyone includes you, Duo."  
  
"Not Democratically!" Duo retorted.  
  
Usagi rose her eyebrows. "What are you ~on~, Duo? Whatever it is, hook me up sometime, huh?"   
  
Duo growled. "You ~know~ what I'm talking about! The whole charade with the chick and the kid—who looked a LOT like you, I might add—and the Prom Night—and the gayness! Can't forget the gayness! An explanation would be—?"  
  
"I'm not gay." Usgai said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.   
  
Duo stood, stunned.   
  
"You may leave anytime." Hiiro growled with impatience.   
  
"Yeah, sure, whatever. What do you mean you're not gay?" Duo demanded, his mind pumping hard to understand.  
  
Usagi tapped her forehead in mock thought. "Hmmmm. I mean, I don't like other guys."  
  
"Why thank you Captain Obvious. But when did this happen! I seriously believed—"  
  
"My lie." Usagi smiled. "That means it was a good one. Bye, Duo."  
  
"No! No 'Bye Duo'. I want an explanation! I want the facts! I want—" He fell out cold.   
  
Usagi gasped. "Duo?"   
  
"He'll be fine until morning—when he'll wake up with a splitting headache." Wufei smiled.  
  
Hiiro smirked. "Forgot you were here."  
  
"That's when I work the best."   
  
Usagi only stared down at Duo. "What'd you do to him?"  
  
"Pinched his pressure point a little too hard. It knocked him out. As soon as you two get finished with your training, we'll be waiting for an explanation." Wufei nodded to them both, grabbed Duo's braid in one hand, and pulled the unconscious boy out of the gym.  
  
Usagi sweat-dropped. "He could have been a little nicer—" Suddenly, her senses went haywire and she jumped down to the ground.  
  
"Good." Hiiro commented, lowering his leg.  
  
"You kicked at me! I wasn't even ready!" Usagi yelped, standing up-right again.  
  
"The enemy will never let you get ready for a fight. There are only two exceptions." He held up his index finger. "One: The enemy is past the point of being sure the fight is ~his/her~ victory. Or, Two," He added his middle finger, "The enemy is testing your fighting stance."  
  
Usagi scratched her head in confusion. "What, pray-tell, is a fighting stance?"  
  
Hiiro blinked. Then he blinked again. "I should hit you for being so stupid." He said, quite calmly.   
  
Usagi, offended, balled her fists. "I wouldn't know what something I don't use, was!" she bellowed. "How dare you call me stupid."  
  
"I could call you much worse."  
  
She blushed. "Yeah, well keep it to yourself. Like my mother always said: If you haven't got something nice to say, don't say anything at all."  
  
Hiiro tilted his head to the side. "That's an ignorant statement. How will you defend yourself against verbal harassment otherwise?"  
  
Usgai turned crimson in anger. "How DARE you say something my mother used to say is ignorant!!" And she lunged at him, fist outstretched.  
  
Hiiro side-stepped Shenji's punch, grabbed his wrist and flipped him on his back in one movement. He stared down at the panting boy. "That," he remarked, "was ~also~ ignorant."   
  
Usagi saw stars in front of her eyes before they turned into Hiiro's face. She scowled up at him. "Shut up! At least I made progress."   
  
Hiiro shook his head, noting the sudden anger in Shenji's normally happy atttude. "If there's anything I want you to learn during our training sessions, it's that using anger in a fight will backfire on you." He held out his hand to the other boy.  
  
Usagi accepted the hand and pulled herself up. "Why? Anger makes you stronger, doesn't it?" She asked.  
  
Hiiro again shook his head. "It clouds your mind and you don't think straight. You don't even see straight. You start attacking anything that moves, picturing it as what you're angry with. And if what is moving is your enemy, you'll dive into battle without planning a strategy first."  
  
Usagi's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Wait, wait, wait. You have to ~think~ before you fight with someone? But I thought you just used your pow—" She stopped. 'Duh, Usagi. Humans don't ~have~ powers, only Lunarians do.'   
  
"Used your what?"  
  
"Uh—your powerful emotions to guide you in your um, fight." She substitued, smiling nervously.  
  
Hiiro sighed. "This is going to be a long month."   
  
Usagi fought to not place her hands on her hips. "And what is ~that~ supposed to mean, ~Sir~?" she sneered sarcastically.  
  
Hiiro ignored this. "A fighting stance is the position in which you place yourself to get a good hold of the fight. Like this." He crouched down low, hands placed in front of him.  
  
Usagi giggled. "You look like an idiot."   
  
"And you ~are~ an idiot. Now pay attention, ~student~." Hiiro smirked at Shenji's offensed face. "There are other fighting stances—"  
  
"Forget this, let's rumble!" Usagi placed her fists in front of her face, much like she saw the street fighters on television do. She spread her legs apart, wobbled a bit, and stood firm. "Attack me!"  
  
Hiiro took a step forward.  
  
"Noo! Leave me alone!" Usagi wrapped her arms around herself. "How do I punch someone without hurting myself?" She unraveled and began punching the air, imagining she was doing it correctly.  
  
Hiiro's eye twitched. "Shenji—"  
  
"Like this?" She thrust her fist out, meekly.  
  
"Shenji—"  
  
"Is this right?" She tried doing an uppercut, succeeding in doing something of the like.  
  
Hiiro shook his head. "Training isn't all about fighting, you know."  
  
Usagi grinned, ignoring his statement. "Look!" She did an uppercut—punching herself in the process. "Ow. Damnit."   
  
"That's what you get for being an idiot. Now stop playing around and listen to me." Once he had Shenji's attention, he began again. "A fighting stance can mean one of two things," he started out.  
  
Usagi groaned inwardly, fighting to pay attention. 'Come on, Meatball Head! Stay awake! You have to learn this, or you can't fight against the Alliance! They stole everything from you!' That woke her up. With a new heat and darkness in her eyes, Usagi listened to every word Hiiro spoke about fighting stances.   
  
Twenty minutes later found Usagi crouched down low, eyes concentrated, body loose, but precise.  
  
Hiiro walked around Shenji in a slow circle, adjusting the boy here and there every second or so. "Good." Hiiro nodded. "Very good."  
  
"Thanks, Cap'in." Usagi teased in a school-boy voice.  
  
Deciding to ignore every statement that didn't pertain to the training, Hiiro continued on. "Take the rest of the day off. See you tomorrow night."   
  
Usagi stilled for a moment, then eased up to her full height, which wasn't too tall. She furrowed her brow. "Why? It's only about noon now."  
  
"We start training at midnight tomorrow, or have you forgotten?" He supposed Shenji had by the look on the boy's face. "You're going to need plenty of rest, so go do whatever idiots do and I'll see you tomorrow."   
  
Usagi almost left, but caught the word 'idiot', and whirled around. "Why do you keep calling me that? It's not nice."  
  
Hiiro studied Shenji for a long moment before turning his back on the boy. "Who said anything about a military camp being nice?"  
  
Usagi frowned. "Whatever—you can stay here and sweat to death for all I care." She brightened. "I, however, have a full schedule planned out: Bother Duo, eat, sleep, bother Wufei, and lastly, visit my new friend. Goodbye boring boy!"   
  
She flitted away, nose raised in the air proudly, and closed the gym door behind her with a triumphant slam.  
  
Hiiro stood still for a moment, smirked, and began to self-train.   
  
*~*~  
  
The false cheer had worked like a charm. Now, the effects of Rei and Rini's news could be seen clearly on her face. Eyes were glazed over, ready to cry, mouth pursed in a thin line, hands clenched into tight fists—she needed to HIT something, damnit!  
  
Usagi walked up to her dorm room door, opened it, and waited for the onslaught of questions. None came.  
  
"Wufei? Duo?"  
  
They weren't even in the room.   
  
She frowned. "Oh well, I can eat, or go visit Trowa." Visiting Trowa sounded much better. 'Besides,' she added mentally, 'I haven't talked to Quatre in a while.'  
  
Mind made up, she left her dorm room and walked across the hall. Her hand was raised to knock on the closed door, but she left it suspended in mid-air when she heard her name coming from the inside of the room. She placed her ear to the door and listened.  
  
"Shenji's got a kid." Duo.  
  
"Does he?" Trowa.  
  
"I still don't believe it." Wufei.  
  
"Well, why would he lie to us?" Quatre.  
  
"It makes me wonder what ~else~ he's lying to us about." Duo.  
  
"That's true. He could be working against the Alliance." Wufei.  
  
Usagi's heart skipped an angry beat. Funny, every time the Alliance came up her mind would be clouded over with hatred.   
  
"Someone should keep an eye on him, maybe?" Quatre.  
  
There was silence in the room.  
  
"Hiiro would be good at that. From what I gather, that guy gets ~around~." Duo.  
  
Spy on her! How ~dare~ they spy on her—and she thought they were friends! Excluding Wufei, that is. Usagi felt her tears spill over. Could she trust ~anyone~ here?   
  
"Hold on a minute. There could be plenty of reasons for Shenji's lie; no need to jump to conclusions. By the way, whose turn is it for lunch duty?"  
  
Yes, she ~could~ trust someone. Usagi smiled through her tears thankfully, pressing her hand on the door gently.   
  
"Thank you, Trowa."   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Aww, cute ending, ne?  
  
Anyway!! I'm revising the summary—lol, thanks to frosty. But I'm glad you told me what you did, so it's aaaaaall goood. Thank you frosty!!!!!  
  
FaIrY AspHoDeL: One of these days I'll learn to write your name without looking back and forth between the reviews page and my Microsoft Word page, lol. Thank you!! This is one of your favorite stories? Yay!!! Thankie Thankie!!! Your votes have been taken into account—and I like your story!!  
  
Chibi Tenshi: Aww, little angel—I bet it suits you in real life, hmm? Lol, not me!!! Anyway, thank you! I've taken your vote—lots of Trowa/Usa requests…hmmm…persuasion. Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Katlin Grace: Lol, that would be pretty funny. Hehe, the prom-night thing was spur of the moment originality lol. Thanks again!!!!!  
  
Celestial DreamBlaze: Aww, please don't cry! I'm sorry! I do love your reviews a lot, really! And yah, I have to say I love everyone else's reviews—but I love reviews in general!! Yours, however, sum up my story in very comforting words, and I can understand what you're telling me thoroughly. Your reviews are very uplifting, and they tell me specifically what you like, and I really appreciate/like that. Lol, I love Kihono and Mikoshi too—yep, they were created from my mind! Lol, yes, women ~always~ keep men in line. Wow, you have many ideas! Tell you what, if I ever decide to just stop writing this fic, I'll let you continue it for me! Thanks for reviewing—and keep at it!!!!! Luv ya ~_^  
  
death04: I think I'll just make you guys wait to be mean. Lol, nah, I can't do that—I post everytime I finish writing a chapter. But you gotta keep reviewing so ha! Hope you liked this chapter!!!!  
  
Lireal: Are you serious? Jeez, you should tell that voice to be quiet once in a while. It's very controlling. Anyhow—Haruka is still on my mind, no worries!! Thanks for reviewing all of my other stories, too!!!!  
  
Jewelclaw Lady of Wind: OOOO, I REALLY LIKE YOUR NAME!!!! It's perdy-licious. I doubt that's a word, but that's what your name is. Trowa/Usagi? Hehe, there's another one. Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Usagi Asia Maxwell: No worries, we're all lazy. I'm not as lazy as my two kitties, but I'm getting there. You have a pretty name, Mrs. Maxwell. You really think this story looks good? Awwies, thank you!!!  
  
Obsessed: Thank you and lol. You pinned me with the 'minor character' thing, but the 'I luv him' was funny. Anyway—whoops, I gotta count these votes one day lol. Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
SerenityLNguyen: Yess!!! I wrote your name from memory! Oh, I'm so good. Oh, it's no prob. Lol I'll update—you're such a cutie!!!! Your remind me of a lil something or other, but it's a cute something or other!! Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Warrior moon: Usagi/Milliardo? Ooh, different. Thanks for reviewing!!!!!  
  
Water Angel: Hey, love your name. Wow, Trowa/Usagi is really popular, ne? Thanks for reviewing—and your compliments are nice too!!!!!!! Thank you!!  
  
Kyuuka Lynn Kaimei: Your name is beautfiul. It just—speaks to me. I love it!!! Does it mean anything? Thank you!!! Your comments were really sweet and made me smile, too!! Oh, it's gonna go on your favorites list? Eee!!!! Thank you!!!!! I hope you liked this chapter too!!!!  
  
Mae: Hehe, I liked your name!!! Lol, I can't wait till she kicks Wufei's boo-tay. He seriously deserves it, ne? Thank you for reviewing!!!!!  
  
And to all others—thank you!!!!! Yes, this will be a pretty long story—if you guys want it to be. Dunno, maybe you'll all get bored with it? Lol, hopefully not!!!!  
  
~azure_chan~ 


	12. Chapter 11: Part 1

Well hi there everyone! How are you guys? I'm pretty good, sitting here listening to music to see what song I want for my song chapter. Oh, I have to tell you this right now: THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG CHAPTER!!! ::listens to the cheering::  
  
Oh, there're gonna be 2 parts: Part 1 and Part 2. Original, huh?  
  
Anyway, it's going to go like this: Day 001, Day 002, Day 003 and so on. Why? Because this chapter marks the start of Usagi's training [real training] with Hiiro. There'll be a lot of days passing in this chapter, so I hope I don't confuse you too much. If I do, leave a review!! [rhymes, rhymes, rhymes.]  
  
I already know this really sweet song I wanna use for after everyone finds out Usa-er Shenji's a female!!! Hehe, but before I use it, I gotta pick the guy she's gonna end up with first. So keep voting, voting, voting; I'll be waiting, waiting, waiting!!!!  
  
AN: Polls for voting are probably going to close by chapter 15. Why? It gives those who haven't voted time to vote!!! And make your choices, cuz I gotta start the romancin' soon, hehe.  
  
11: Part 1  
  
Usagi went back to her dorm room-although listening in on the guys' conversation would have been interesting-closed the door and hopped into bed, sighing. 'Tomorrow Hiiro's gonna train me till I die. Yee haw,' she thought, quite sarcastically. But her eyes darkened.  
  
The Alliance.  
  
Yes, the Alliance. The damned Alliance that stole her family and mostly all of her dearest friends. The Alliance that would see its day of death by her hands. The Alliance that would be defeated without anger, but with skill- determination. Dexterity with combat and weaponry was bound to happen sometime during her training with Hiiro. They'd pay. Thieves always did.  
  
Usagi wiped away a tear that had pushed its way out of her eye and hurried down her cheek. She wouldn't cry for her losses-for those who died. For those the Alliance took. She couldn't. She had to be strong, had to learn how to deal with death. Had to become death.  
  
She scowled. She didn't want to actually ~become~ Death; Hotaru seemed to be just fine with the title.  
  
Hotaru.  
  
This time, the little tear brought many more, determined to make their way down the sides of her face. Usagi brushed them off roughly, holding back a cry. Hotaru was with Michiru and Haruka and Setsuna-where? The hell if she knew. At least they all had one another.  
  
Or did they?  
  
Usagi's throat tightened. Could they be all alone? Makato didn't have anyone-she was just like Usagi, stuck in a Boot Camp, only, fighting for the wrong side. 'I bet they forced her to join the Alliance. Oh kami, they could be doing anything to her right now!'  
  
Usagi bolted out of bed at the many dark thoughts that bombarded her head at one time, giving her a splitting headache. She touched her nose. Swelling had gone down. Only a few more days, now, and you wouldn't be able to tell it had ever been beaten as badly as it had.  
  
She stood, walked to the door, locked it, and sat back down on the bed. She pulled her shirt off over her head and tossed it to the ground. Reaching around to her back, Usagi tugged on the bandages that had been tied in a knot, dropping the cloth to the ground.  
  
Finally.  
  
Sighing and laying back on her bed, she relished in the freedom of not having to deal with the pain of tightly wrapped breasts. She faced the wall, her thoughts traveling suddenly to Luna.  
  
She sat up abruptly.  
  
"Luna! Artemis!"  
  
Rei and Rini hadn't even mentioned the cats. Did that mean they were in trouble? Hurt? Lost? Maybe even dead? She laughed nervously. 'Come on, Usa. They're cats! If there's one thing they know how to do, it's survive out in the real world.' But then again, the world had never been ~this~ real. Youma, real? Everyday? Please. Wars, real? Everyday? Now ~that~ was reality. It was ~her~ reality, now.  
  
The Alliance.  
  
Their fault; had to be. If they hadn't come to Tokyo and-She wiped her tears away angrily, grabbing the bandages and wrapping them around her chest even tighter, but only after noticing something: Her breasts had grown.  
  
"Kuso." She hissed, completing the wrapping with a knot in the back and pulling her shirt on. This was just what she needed. She'd have to wear sweatshirts now. Good thing the weather always got colder in October.  
  
Her mind kept wandering, thinking, contemplating and figuring little details of nothing out. Eventually, her mind led her to a blank place, shut down, and went to sleep.  
  
~**~  
  
Mikoshi frowned at the television for the umpteenth time. "Hey Sensitive, look at this."  
  
"Ha ha, Miko." Kihono grumbled, joining Mikoshi and watching the television. "What do you want?"  
  
Mikoshi's frown deepened at the television. "War."  
  
Kihono raised his eyebrows. "You want war?"  
  
"Jerk!"  
  
He smirked. "You said it."  
  
"You know what I meant. We're going to war." She turned up the volume on the small, portable television to hear Princess Relena speak:  
  
"-do wish for your support and encouragement. It is difficult to deal with the many lives lost in the last bombing, but through it all, peace with prevail. It only pains me that we have to go through these drastic measures to get to it. My beliefs of war stand the same, although I am open to questions for the time being."  
  
A reporter raised his voice over the many others: "Miss Peacecraft, how can we obtain peace through battles and destruction?"  
  
"We can't," she regarded him softly. "We can't."  
  
"What about the Military Training Camps? You say we can't obtain peace through war, yet you're training soldiers!" Another reporter piped up, scribbling furiously on his note pad.  
  
Relena sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, then re-opened them. "I have been asked that question countless times. The soldiers are being trained because, although war is meaningless, it is just common sense to be prepared for it."  
  
"So are you for or against your own soldiers?" And still they yelled at her.  
  
Mikoshi's eyes were littered with sympathy when Relena, speechless, cast helpless eyes at her advisor.  
  
Lieutenant Noin stepped forward to the podium. "There will be no more questions at this time; the princess must attend a private conference without the press. Thank you for your time."  
  
An uproar of disagreement arose and Relena, with her advisor and current body guards, stepped off the stage and disappeared from the television. Mikoshi turned the TV off, rubbing her temples.  
  
"What do we do?" She asked no one in particular.  
  
"Train them even harder." Kihono answered for her, angry with the thought of war. He had fought in the old, old wars to obtain the peace they had, and now some screwball was going to mess it up for everyone just because they had their own views of the perfect life. Typical. All so typical.  
  
"When should we announce the war?" Mikoshi rested her head in her hands. She, too, had fought in her share of wars-alongside Kihono. Shortly after peace had finally been won, they had met up again, dated, so to speak, gotten married and had a kid. So why were they here now? The former princess had wanted troops to be trained just in case.  
  
"Tomorrow. In a week. Never. Damnit." Kihono was, for the first time in his life, confused.  
  
Mikoshi's eyes softened toward her husband and she went to him, putting her head on his chest. "We'll announce it tomorrow."  
  
Kihono grinned. "We're gonna have a helluva time training up ~more~ cocky- assed Alliance soldiers, huh?"  
  
Mikoshi laughed. "Yeah."  
  
*~*~  
  
She stood on a high cliff, watching the water turn violently and settle, only to rise up and clash against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff loudly.  
  
"Almost time," She spoke softly.  
  
"Yes." A rougher, deeper voice than hers.  
  
"The war will begin."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Many will die."  
  
"Yes."  
  
She turned. "And her?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"And her?" she pressed.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She looked back to the ocean. "Almost time," She stated again, her clothing fluttering lazily in the wind; hair curling around her face only to be blown off.  
  
"For what?" A new, young voice.  
  
She smiled, her back turned to the questioner. "For Fate to discard us, and Death to run havoc over the world we once knew."  
  
The owner of the question gasped. "But I thought I was-"  
  
"Let's go home, Little Mistress." She said, sadly.  
  
The three turned from the ocean and walked, in silence, to the only sanctuary they would ever call home again:  
  
The past.  
  
*~*~--Next day-- Day 001  
  
Usagi bolted upright in her bed. 'Strange dreams I'm having these days.' She foggily registered the sound of loud snoring. 'Heh, Duo's sleeping.'  
  
Her feet hit the floor before she was completely awake and carried her to the dorm room door, out into the hall, and, shoeless, out into darkness. She walked, yawning and rubbing her eyes, to the tree she knew so well and sat at the trunk, absentmindedly scratching her foot.  
  
"Why are you up so early?"  
  
She jumped, surprised, and let her eyes wander up to the darkness of the tree's leaves. She spotted a familiar figure hiding among the foliage. "You know, you look like a cat. All you need are the glowing eyes."  
  
"I didn't ask whether or not I looked like a cat."  
  
Usagi grinned sleepily. "I know, but I told you. What time is it anyway?"  
  
"Five-thirty." Then, at Shenji's confused face, he added, "In the morning."  
  
"Oh. Ohh! I slept for-two, three, four, five-a looong time." She figured, stretching one last time and resting her head against the tree. "What can you see from up there?"  
  
He lay back against the tree, lacing his fingers over his chest. "A lot."  
  
"Wow, so descriptive aren't we?" she snorted sarcastically.  
  
He ignored this remark. "Go back to sleep or you're going to be too tired to train tonight."  
  
"Tomorrow."  
  
He frowned. "What?"  
  
"Tomorrow. Midnight marks the beginning of a new day." Usagi smiled proudly at her knowledge.  
  
"Really?" He humored the boy.  
  
Usagi nodded. "Yup."  
  
"I'm afraid you're wrong. Go to bed."  
  
"I am NOT wrong!"  
  
"It's not the next day until 12 o' one. You're wrong."  
  
"Am not!"  
  
"I'm not going to argue back and forth about this."  
  
"'Cause you know I'm right."  
  
He snorted. "Because Duo would be dumb enough to keep arguing, and I'm not Duo. Now go-"  
  
"You're not my mother!"  
  
"Very perceptive, aren't we?" He shot the sarcasm back at Shenji.  
  
Usagi stood. "You know what, Mr. Yui?"  
  
Hiiro gazed down at Shenji, then closed his eyes. "What?"  
  
"You're a prick!" She yelled loudly.  
  
Hiiro almost fell out of the tree, caught himself, and glared full-force down at Shenji.  
  
Usagi shrank back in fear. His gaze was so. . .heated.  
  
"Do you know what that is?" He kept his voice tight.  
  
She laughed. "Of course! A prick is something you get when you press your finger to a needle."  
  
This time he ~did~ fall out of the tree. He landed on his feet, but glared down at Shenji. "Ask Quatre what it means before you use it anymore."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes. "I asked Duo a while ago. He told me what I told you. He even told me to use it on you."  
  
Hiiro stored away a 'kill Duo Maxwell' in his mind before shaking his head. "Just ask Quatre what the ~other~ meaning is."  
  
Usagi, willing to stall and annoy for however long she could, only cackled. "Have you ever had a girlfriend?"  
  
Hiiro, taken aback, immediately turned a little red in his cheeks. "What? Why? Where did this come from? Go to bed!"  
  
She giggled, eyes narrowed in suspicious fun. "So you ~have~ had a girlfriend, eh? C'mon tell me, you sly dog."  
  
"Even if I haven't, the offer isn't presented to you, so stop asking! Now go to bed! Leave me alone!" Hiiro jumped back into the tree, still blushing a bit.  
  
She looked up at him, winking. "Fine, I'll go. But now I know you've probably had about twenty girls, eh? Eh?"  
  
"Leave me alone, Shenji."  
  
Usagi laughed, turned, and went back inside. She was suddenly feeling less sleepy and happier than she had been yesterday. 'Awl, Hiiro's never had a girlfriend! How kawaii!'  
  
Hiiro's eyes trailed Shenji. His blush had vanished and he sat, uncomfortably, with his arms crossed over his chest. Still, a tiny, almost microscopical part of him wanted to laugh just a little. The sheer madness of it all: Hiiro Yui ever having a girlfriend. [AN: Insert fangirls screaming the same thing: Hiiro Yui, marry me!!!!!!]  
  
Twenty minutes later found Usagi alone in the shower-room. She never took showers with the other guys, claiming she had a foot-fungus that was easily spread. By the time the guys got out of the shower, it was well past lights out, so the showering time was very limited for her. Besides, the guys never left any hot water for her, either. Her showers were always cold.  
  
"It's 6:20 now," she yawned, "so I'll have about ten minutes of pure bliss." Turning up the heat to full blast, she grinned evily. "No hot water for anyone but me." She giggled, stripped, and stepped into the spray.  
  
She began to hum a merry little tune, scrubbing her hair madly with Duo's shampoo; the one with the cherry-colored top; and washing herself with Quatre's rose-smelling soap, then repeated the process six more times. 'Sorry guys, but hey, a girl's gotta smell good at least ~once~ in her life. Even if it ~is~ in a dern Boot Camp.'  
  
She rinsed, ran her hands through her hair to get the last remnants of shampoo out, and turned off the water, grabbing a random towel that was strewn across the floor. Inspecting it, she found the cloth fairly clean and began to dry herself and her hair.  
  
Slicking it all back into a long, tight ponytail, she squeezed out the end until her hair was considerably dryer, wrapped her bandages back around a less-wet chest, put on a black sweat-shirt she had stolen from Duo, and the murky green sweat-pants that everyone wore. She braided the end of her ponytail and tied it with a rubber band, throwing the now damp towel back onto the floor and smirking. She smelled clean, looked clean, finally ~felt~ clean, and---HAD USED ALL THE HOT WATER UP!  
  
Usagi left the bathroom and went back to her dorm just as Trowa walked out of his. She smiled. "Hey sleepy-head. How ya doin?"  
  
Trowa, blinking once to adjust to the morning, nodded to her and smiled sleepily. "Good morning," he glanced around, "Usagi."  
  
She giggled. "Good sleep?"  
  
"I've had better."  
  
She nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. "So, um, what are you going to do now?"  
  
"About something or this second?"  
  
"This second."  
  
He grinned. "Take a long, hot shower. I never have any time when I'm in there." He nodded to the bathroom.  
  
Usagi blushed. "Uh, you might not want to go in there. I kind of used up all the hot water."  
  
He blinked once. Again. And once more. His face broke out into a laugh and he patted her shoulder. "You deserved it. I don't mind taking cold showers."  
  
"I also used Duo's shampoo and Quatre's soap. Think they'll be mad at me?"  
  
Trowa titled his head to the side, as if in thought, then dipped his head down to her level, and sniffed.  
  
Usagi, blushing fiercely, stiffened and held her breath. "Uh-Tro-"  
  
"They won't be mad." He brought his head back up, opened his eyes, and smiled down at Usagi. "Besides, you smell good." He yawned, completely unaware of how nervous he had just made the poor girl, and walked past her to the bathroom.  
  
Usagi's eyes grew ten times wider and she blushed, bringing her hands up to her face and giggling in a childish way. 'Does Trowa like me? Wow! And he's an OLDER guy, too! Then again, Mamoru was way older than me---but Trowa's MUCH better than Mamoru.' She was still in her thoughts when her dorm room door open and out bounded Duo.  
  
"Hey man! Move it! You're blockin' the road to the bathroom!" And he was gone, followed closely by a maniacal Wufei screaming something along the lines of:  
  
"Maxwell! Get your ass back here! I already TOLD you: My soap is OFF LIMITS!"  
  
Usagi only snorted into a giggle when Wufei ran straight into her, sending her flying into the wall.  
  
He growled down in disgust at Shenji. "Watch where you're going, baka!" And took off after Duo.  
  
Usagi, lost in her thoughts and not in her right mind, waved at him through misty eyes. "You're looking swell this afternoon, Wufei."  
  
And thus the morning commenced---as it did everyday in one queer way or another.  
  
----  
  
The day seemed to fly by for Usagi, as if it couldn't wait to get to her training session with Hiiro.  
  
And it didn't have to wait very long.  
  
Usagi found herself yawning and complaining outside in the dark with Hiiro a while later.  
  
"So, yeah, what are we doing, now?"  
  
"Training. Now, I'm pretty sure you've been brushing up on defenses in your class, right? Well, I'm going to attack you, and you're going to defend yourself. Understood?"  
  
"Sir yes-" Snore.  
  
Hiiro's jaw mentally fell. Shenji had just fallen asleep while saluting, and was snoring as loud as Duo. He smirked, reaching into the bag of 'goodies' he had brought just for this session. He pulled out a new, shiny red blow horn and---  
  
BWAAAAAANG!!!!!  
  
Usagi jumped at least six feet in the air, screaming and covering her ears. She came to Earth cursing and growling. Afterward, she marched straight up to Hiiro. "You do that ever again and see what happens, Yui!" She barked.  
  
Hiiro only held the horn up to Shenji's face and---  
  
BWAAAAAANG!!!!!  
  
"ARGH!!!" she covered her ears and howled as if in pain. "Stop it!"  
  
"As I was saying. I'm going to attack you, and you're going to defend yourself. Understood?" He held up the horn.  
  
Usagi glared at him. "Ooooh, I hate you so much right now, Yui."  
  
"Likewise, and my name is Sir." He smirked.  
  
And thus the training commenced.  
  
Usagi held her fists across her chest and defended while Hiiro restlessly attacked, stopping only to instruct her on stronger defenses.  
  
An hour later and now it was Hiiro who defended while Usagi attacked. She would wheeze after five minutes, but kept on. Hiiro would shake his head at mostly all of her attacks, giving tips on how to hold her fists more properly, or how her kicks could be straighter.  
  
::1 hour later::  
  
Finally, after sweat, profanity, a blow horn and some death threats, Usagi was attacking Hiiro with minimum dexterity, her punches hitting the right marks.  
  
"Good." Hiiro commented after receiving a punch to the head, but blocking it.  
  
Usagi ignored his praise and only attacked, focusing her mind and body on becoming better than this.  
  
Now 2:00 in the morning, Hiiro called a halt to their training.  
  
"But we're. . .supposed to. . .train. . .three hours." Usagi panted, sweat pouring down her forehead and soaking into her sweatshirt.  
  
Hiiro shook his head. "You've earned your rest. You're doing fairly well for your first session."  
  
"But?" Usagi persisted.  
  
"You can always be better. Good night, Shenji." He nodded to the boy and left, not turning back.  
  
Usagi fell to the ground and let out a low sigh. "Shower, bed, here I come!" She hauled herself up to leave. 'Just a minute, moon face. Shouldn't you practice what you learned tonight? How are you ever going to get better if you don't? Come on, do some of those punches and blocks again.'  
  
She groaned, knowing her head was right, but her body stronger. 'Fine. Blame yourself when you, too, die at the hands of the Alliance. Especially after the announcement of this new war.' [AN: This must have been confusing some of you to death. The Alliance is the good side, but since they took Usa's family to aid them in the war, Usagi thinks they're the bad side, and is determined to defeat them. She doesn't know she's actually fighting for them. If you're still confused, e-mail me and I'll send you one back explaining this.] Usagi let out a half growl and furiously punched and blocked at the air, her movements a bit slow and unsure, but with newfound hope in them.  
  
At four-fifteen in the morning, Usagi went to bed.  
  
Day 002  
  
Usagi groaned and rolled over, soreness racking every inch of her body. 'What time is it?'  
  
"TIME TO GET UP!!!"  
  
'Thanks, Duo, you idiot.' She opened her eyes slowly just as Wufei walked into the room in the customary clothing.  
  
"Still in bed?" Wufei snickered in disgust, still loathing Shenji. Now even more because the baka had lied about what he was-or wasn't---~and~ had a kid and wife waiting for him at home. What kind of man left their wife and kid without telling them? Dishonorable scum.  
  
She frowned sleepily at his tone. "Leave me alone. I trained really hard last night, and I'm wiped." Her words were slurred.  
  
"Everyone here trains ten times harder than you ever could, and you don't hear ~them~ complaining."  
  
"Well, I'm sure they do. But I'm not everyone, I'm Shenji. And it wouldn't kill you to be a bit nicer to me."  
  
"Yes it would!" Duo yelled from down the hall.  
  
Usagi giggled.  
  
Wufei scowled. "This is none of your business, baka!"  
  
"And another thing!" Duo poked his head into the room with his toothbrush hanging out the side of his mouth, and foam all around his lips-and in his hair. "What's a baka?"  
  
Usagi smiled. "An idiot." She supplied happily, sitting up in her bed and falling back down.  
  
Duo frowned. "Well, if I'm an idiot, Wufei, then you're a major pain in the ass." And he was gone.  
  
Wufei clenched his fists. "Maxwell!"  
  
Usagi laughed.  
  
"What are you laughing at, you weak excuse for a man? You can't even talk without sounding like a flute!"  
  
She stopped laughing. "And?"  
  
Wufei, at a loss for words, gave her a final glare and marched out of the room in a huff just as Duo skipped in.  
  
"Hey Duo!"  
  
"Hiya Shenji, man! How was Training Day?"  
  
Usagi giggled. "Terrible. But if it'll help me, so be it."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
I think that's a good place to end this part. I won't take long to talk because I know you want to get to the next chapter. See you then!  
  
--azure_chan 


	13. Chapter 11: Part 2

*~*~*  
  
Chapter 11: Part 2  
  
"Trowa, Quatre, thank you both. This means a lot to me." Mikoshi smiled and shook the boys' hands.  
  
Trowa nodded.  
  
"It would be our pleasure, ma'am. He's a nice boy." Quatre said, gently, smiling.  
  
Kihono frowned. "Well ~I~ don't agree with it."  
  
"What's new?" Mikoshi muttered, catching a glare from her husband.  
  
"When would you like us to start?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Umm---"  
  
"Never."  
  
"Shush, Kihono!" Mikoshi frowned at her husband. "This is important to me."  
  
Kihono raised his eyes to the ceiling, sat back in his chair, and sighed. "Yes, as is every other helpless creature in the world." Out of nowhere, a hand slapped him on the back of his head. "Hey!" He yelped. "I'm still the General!"  
  
"In charge of whining." Mikoshi uttered dryly.  
  
Trowa and Quatre glanced at one another and smiled.  
  
*~*~  
  
It was impossible. It had to be. No human-no ~normal~ human-could have done it. Yet ~he~ was. He was going to die. Maybe he'd just get maimed. But still-how was this possible?!?  
  
Duo shook his head in amazement and confusion while he finished his thirteenth jumping jack. Morning exercises had just begun, and John, Kihono's officer in command, had started them all out with jumping jacks. John, honestly, was the jackass of all jackasses, and if there was one person John absolutely loathed, it was Shenji.  
  
So what was so interesting about Shenji right this minute? Well, the boy had started out on beat doing jumping jacks, but had slowly faded in and out of consciousness. Finally, after his fifth jumping jack, Shenji had given up and fallen asleep. Thing was, he was ~still~ doing the jumping jacks ~while~ he slept! He was also majorly off beat, and John was going up and down the line of jumping jack-ers, checking straight arms, legs, and upper-body. Shenji would die.  
  
"Psst! Shenji, man!" Duo couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at the sight of Shenji's head bobbing up and down while he slept and clumsily jumped. His arms flailed about, threatening to pummel the person beside him. "Psst!"  
  
"Shut up!" Wufei hissed, trying to be as silent as possible. If John found out that that idiot Duo was talking, he would make everyone do fifteen laps around the whole camp, plus sixty extra jumping jacks.  
  
"Look at Shenji!" Duo barked back in a harsh whisper, snickering at the sight of Shenji slowly falling over.  
  
Wufei's eyes widened a bit, and at first he scowled-until he saw how close John was to them. John was already in front of Hiiro, who stood next to the guy next to Duo. Wufei smiled wickedly. "Let the baka have his rest."  
  
Duo couldn't help it and let out a laugh when Shenji began leaning on the boy next to him, legs going every which way and arms smacking anything near him.  
  
"Hey, get off me!" The boy yelled, quite loudly.  
  
John whipped his head around at the noise. He frowned. "What's going on?"  
  
Duo snorted into his loud laughing, coughing and wheezing as he jumped.  
  
Wufei smiled smugly: Shenji was in for it.  
  
Usagi, awoken rudely by the sudden hard ground, muttered a few choice words and blinked heavy-lidded eyes to focus. Her eyes slowly shut once more, and sleeping took over.  
  
John, veins in his neck pulsating, stared down at Shenji with an even deeper hate than he had ever known. "Boy," he growled, "get up."  
  
She knew the voice. First instinct: Run. Run veeeeeeery fast. Usagi's eyes popped open and she 'eeped,' shooting up and flying away from John's angry glare. 'Damn, now I have to hide ~again~!' Hey, it wasn't like this was the ~first~ time she'd had to run from John.  
  
From their hiding places, Trowa and Quatre sighed.  
  
"This is pretty pitiful."  
  
"Trowa!"  
  
Trowa smiled calmly. "But he'll get better."  
  
Quatre nodded. "I do hope so."  
  
::777 minutes and 3 seconds later [in other words, 13 hours later] ::  
  
"Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty!" Usagi stretched from side to side and kicked out her legs after her jumping jacks were finished. "I think I'm doing better already!" She proclaimed happily.  
  
Hiiro looked up from his stretching position on the ground. "How? We haven't even started the training yet."  
  
She giggled. "I know, but I don't feel so sleepy. Usually I'd be wiped out after a day of training."  
  
"That means you're doing better in the Boot Camp."  
  
"I guess. So what're we learning today, Sir?" She asked cheerily.  
  
He stood and mimicked her previous stretching. "Attacks."  
  
Usagi clapped. "Yes! I've been waiting for this! Okay, punches? Kicks? Any weapons involved?" She couldn't wait to get better so she could show off what she knew.  
  
Hiiro nodded. "Kicks, mainly. If we have time, weapons. Punches will be added in to everything. We might get to bed a little late tonight."  
  
Usagi smiled. "Fine with me. Guess what!"  
  
"No."  
  
She sweat-dropped. "Well anyway, I stayed outside until four something in the morning yesterday!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was going over everything we had learned!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Oh?" She frowned. "Aren't you going to praise me? Give me a 'good job,' or a 'nice going,' or a 'that's great'?"  
  
He frowned. "You were doing something you've been required to do since the first day you learned that material. Why would I praise you?"  
  
Her face fell and she blushed, looking at the ground. "Oh. Yeah, you're right." She said, quietly.  
  
Hiiro sighed, rolling his eyes upward. "Congratulations anyway, though." He muttered.  
  
Usagi giggled. "Thanks, Sir!"  
  
"Let's begin."  
  
Trowa and Quatre sat in a tree watching the training from afar.  
  
"He's persistent. That's good."  
  
"Yes," Quatre agreed, smiling, "He's doing much better."  
  
"Much."  
  
"You know, Shenji could really be a great fighter in the future."  
  
"Hm."  
  
They shared a friendly smile and watched. The wind of night blew, as if it itself were praising Shenji's persistence.  
  
Usagi kicked her leg higher, then screeched, falling to the ground. "Ow! I think I ripped something in there!" She howled, grabbing her thigh.  
  
Hiiro bent down to check the leg, probing it tenderly until:  
  
"Kuso!" Usagi lashed out and smacked Hiiro. "That HURT! Don't touch that spot!"  
  
He glared. "You pulled a muscle. Get up and keep going."  
  
"Nani?! But---" She stopped. After being silent for about five minutes, she ground her teeth together and pushed herself up to a standing position. Hot pain ripped throughout her leg, and sweat began to form over her brow. "Let's keep going." She whimpered.  
  
He nodded approvingly, and swept his leg under Shenji's feet, tripping him.  
  
She fell on her wounded leg.  
  
Quatre scrunched up his face. "If there's one thing about Shenji I'll always remember, it's how loud he can scream."  
  
Trowa smiled. "I'll probably remember a lot more."  
  
"He doesn't sit with us at lunch. I invited him yesterday, but he just turned his back and went to the gym to train. In fact, he's been in the gym during lunch ever since his training began with Hiiro."  
  
"Ah." Trowa mused, watching Usagi kick and fall back, only to kick higher and straighter each time.  
  
The blonde smiled. "Trowa, I'm pregnant."  
  
"Ah-WHAT!?" Trowa whipped his head around to his laughing friend. "Quatre, you're not a female, are you?" He tensed, wondering if all of his so- called "male" friends were women in disguise.  
  
Quatre abruptly stopped laughing. "No-o. I was kidding. You get so lost in your thoughts sometimes. I figured I'd wake you up." He grinned. "Scared you, didn't I?"  
  
"Ha." Trowa focused back on the training.  
  
Usagi, on her knees, kept tasted thick blood in her mouth as she bit her tongue to keep from screaming. Ever since Hiiro had told her she'd pulled a muscle, he'd been visciously attacking her wounded leg, making the pain greater and more unbearable. She pinched tears from her eyes. "Hiiro-"  
  
"No." He shook his head, kindness had left him hours ago. His eyes were uncaring, cold, hostile. "We're going to continue like this until I say to stop. And you're not going to cry, scream, whimper-none of that. You want to leave, leave. Get up and do a lap around the camp."  
  
Her eyes bulged in fear and disbelief. She clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn't scream 'No!' and stood, shakily, her thigh burning with pain that shot through her body, making her head dizzy. "Fine." She growled through clenched teeth. "Sir." She began at a slow walk, then made herself jog, finally succeeding in a lanky run.  
  
Trowa smiled softly. 'Sorry, Usa. I'd help, but Hiiro's right.'  
  
She breathed through her mouth, pushing the air out through her nose. The crisp scent of winter burned her nostrils, froze her throat, made her shiver. Still she ran on. Her feet crunched loudly on the gravel of the ground, pebbles and rocks and dirt flew out from beneath her feet. Her thigh throbbed, begging for her to sop ad just quit this, go home to Rei and Rini. She ran even harder.  
  
Her breathing sped up and she pumped her arms, balling her fists and punching the air as she had learned to do yesterday; as she had practiced during lunch today. Her fist sliced through the cold air, sliced through the fog her breath made in the darkness of night. Her hair cut like a whip through the air, bouncing and jolting off her back as she ran even faster.  
  
Her legs pumped, eyes became keen of everything around her. A rustle in the bushes, the wind in the trees. She didn't let anything unnerve her, running even faster, ignoring the rapidly building pain in her leg until finally: Hiiro. He stood, arms crossed, awaiting her arrival. She had made it around the school.  
  
Quatre suppressed the urge to clap and instead smiled widely.  
  
Hiiro lifted a sole eyebrow at the determination in Shenji's eyes. He felt his mouth twitch as Shenji proceeded to run right past him, running on to do a second lap around the school. ~This~ was what he had been waiting for. Shenji had grown up.  
  
They spent hours working with kicks; Usagi's leg had been wrapped with a bandage. They blocked each other, breathing as one, training as one, attacking as one.  
  
Trowa and Quare hopped down from their posts in the tree as soon as the training finished, each smiling.  
  
"Tomorrow's going to be a fun day. So what do we tell Mikoshi?"  
  
Trowa grinned. "She should keep Shenji here."  
  
Day 003  
  
All of her classes had been put on hold until further notice so she could train with Hiiro. And train she did. They were in the gym.  
  
"Ya!" She thrust her fist out, missing Hiiro, but quickly ducked his punch, blocked his kick and retaliated with one of her own. She found herself on the ground a moment later.  
  
Hiiro stood above Shenji. "Today," He declared, danger in his eyes, "we work with weaponry. To be specific: knives."  
  
She yipped and stood, wincing when she put weight on her leg. "Why does it still hurt, Sir?" The name had become normal.  
  
"You've been putting weight on it, and using it. This is the painful way for it to get better. Catch." He pulled a knife from his bag and tossed it to Shenji.  
  
Usagi yelped in pain when a clean slice appeared on her thumb, the weapon dropping to the ground. "Ow!" She hissed, bringing the wound up to her mouth and sucking.  
  
Hiiro scowled. "You can't catch? ~Now~ I've seen everything."  
  
"I can catch!" She yelled, embarrassed. "But I don't spend my time catching knives, so I'm a bit out of practice." Sarcasm dripped from her lips as well as the blood from her cut.  
  
"Well, sucking it will only make it infected. Let me see the cut." He balked at the small slit in her thumb. "You're whining over ~that~?"  
  
She yanked her thumb from his eyes, flushing a deep red. "I wasn't whining. It hurts." It did. It throbbed, and the air made it pulse. "And it's bleeding! Make it stop!" She quickly brought it to her mouth, but her hand was smacked.  
  
"You're going to get a lot more cuts while training with these knives, so get used to pain. Put your thumb down!" He ripped the finger from her mouth. "Leave it down. Down! Good. Put it back down!" He glared.  
  
Usagi whimpered. "But it ~hurts~!" She fought the urge to suck on her thumb, pressing a finger over the wound.  
  
"Pick up the knife you dropped. I'm going to show you how to throw."  
  
Hiiro set up a dartboard that stood on legs. He held a shiny knife by its blade, reared his arm back and threw. The knife sliced cleanly through the air and hit its mark: the middle of the dartboard. "Now," He turned to Shenji, "you try."  
  
She frowned at the knife in her hand. "You're dangerous." She declared, glaring at the knife. "You could kill somebody. You could kill ~me~. You could kill-"  
  
"~Why~ are you talking to my knife?" Hiiro asked, exasperated. He had learned to expect anything weird from Shenji. "Just ~throw~ it."  
  
Her nervous laugh echoed throughout the gym. " 'Kay." She mimicked how Hiiro had held the knife, reared back her arm and threw. The knife went sailing over the dartboard and hit the wall behind it, clanking noisily to the floor. She flashed Hiiro a grin. "Good, eh?"  
  
He shook his head. "Yes, Shenji," He growled and went to retrieve his knife, "real good."  
  
She could feel the sarcasm in his voice. "I thought so too!" She yelled, and stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
A knife suddenly flew at her.  
  
Usagi screamed and fell flat on the ground, the knife hitting the wall behind her and sliding to the ground. She stood. "Yui!" She screamed, "You're such a-AHH!" She dodged another knife, ducking another, and jumping over yet another. "Stop it!" She howled in pain as a knife lodged itself inside her thigh, only the handle sticking out.  
  
Black and white flashed before her eyes as sirens went off in her ears. She could hear shrill shrieks being erupted, and somewhere in her mind she knew it was her herself who was screaming. Something warm and wet glided over her leg, and the screams reached a higher octave as someone put pressure on her leg. Pounding filled her ears as pain found its way to every fiber of her being, and her thigh began to shake. Still she screamed. Someone was yelling at her to calm down, and people were suddenly crowding her.  
  
"Shenji, calm down!" Quatre held the shaking shoulders of the howling boy. "Trowa, he's going into shock!" He yelled over his shoulders.  
  
"I can't do much about that right now!" Trowa yelled back, helping Hiiro apply pressure to the gushing wound on Usagi's thigh. "Damnit Hiiro, why'd you have to cut he-him!" He caught himself.  
  
Hiiro said nothing, only applied pressure. He ripped a piece of the bottom of his shirt and tied it around Shenji's red, sticky thigh, the blood quickly coating the floor and making it slick and shiny.  
  
Trowa glared daggers at Hiiro but said nothing, only helped to tie the wound tighter.  
  
Quatre looked into Shenji's dilating pupils and sighed as they began to flicker back to normal, the boy's sobs reducing a bit noise level. "He's all right." He propped himself beside Shenji against the wall on the ground. "He's going to be fine."  
  
"Has he lost too much blood?" It was the first thing Hiiro had said. His ears were still ringing from Shenji's screams of pain.  
  
"He's lost a lot." Trowa snapped, wiping bloodied hands on his shirt. "Maybe you should stop training him."  
  
Usagi stopped screaming abruptly, and after a second, she screamed a word: NO!  
  
Quatre winced. Shenji had stopped screaming, but huge tears were rolling down the boy's contorted face of pain.  
  
Her knuckles were white as she sobbed, gripping into her palms and penetrating the skin. Her thigh throbbed, shook-her body trembled. "Kami, it hurts! Trowa-Trowa make it stop!" She began to sob uncontrollably, the pain unbearable.  
  
Trowa's heart just about broke as Usagi called out to him, but there was only one thing he could do to stop the pain. He gripped the knife in her hand and stuck it back into the wound, slowly inching it in and cutting the cloth.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Quatre yelled, pushing Trowa away.  
  
Her head snapped back as she let out a final scream of pain. It was too much-hurt too much. Her insides tightened, her thigh stopped shaking. Her breathing slowed, her screams stopped. Her eyes closed.  
  
Hiiro stood, lifting the unconscious Shenji over his shoulder. "Good idea."  
  
"I didn't see ~you~ doing anything, Yui." Trowa barked, throwing the knife to the ground and standing.  
  
He ignored this. "Control your emotions, Barton."  
  
"Control this." Trowa's fist connected with Hiiro's nose in a forceful punch, sending more blood to splatter on the wall. A resounding crack echoed off the gymnasium walls. He took Usagi's limp body and placed it over his own shoulder, narrowing his eyes at Hiiro and stalking out of the gym to the Medical Center.  
  
Quatre rushed over to Hiiro. "You alright?" He was pushed away.  
  
Hiiro grasped his nose with both hands and set it back into place with a sickening crunch. The blood really flowed now, and he bent his head forward, spitting blood from his mouth. "It'll have to bleed out." He growled. "Go get something to clean up this gym with. I'll be fine."  
  
Quatre nodded and hurried out of the gym.  
  
'Barton,' Hiiro seethed, 'you're lucky I wasn't expecting that. Otherwise, you'd be dead right now.'  
  
::2 HOURS LATER::  
  
He had been watching over her for a while now, and he glanced at his watch. Mikoshi and Kihono had been outraged when they had learned of Shenji's wound, but he had said he would take care of Shenji, and told them not to worry.  
  
Trowa leaned forward and pressed an ice pack to Usagi's burning forehead. The girl moaned in response to the cold stimulus. He smiled. She was coming around.  
  
Pain. That was all she could feel. Moving caused an alarming amount of soreness in her thigh, and she hissed, daring to open her heavy-lidded eyes. A familiar face greeted her with a smile. She tried smiling back, opened her mouth to speak. Not a sound came out. Her eyes widened in alarm and she tried again. Nothing.  
  
He chuckled at the worried eyes cast his way. "You used your voice up screaming. You'll get it back." "Shenji!" Duo bounded into the room, falling over and into Trowa, landing on the ground next to Shenji's cot. "Man, this is the second time you've been in here. You ~must~ be a woman or something." His mind told him to joke, to make everyone smile. His eyes darkened when he spotted the bandage around Shenji's leg spotted with crimson. "I'll kill him." He vowed.  
  
She smiled widely, trying to laugh but only producing a few puffs of air.  
  
Trowa smiled. 'Not if I get to him first.' "Guess this means it's your turn to watch over Shenji." He stood.  
  
Duo laughed. "Nah, I just dropped by." He trailed off as Shenji's face fell. "But I guess I can stay."  
  
Trowa nodded. "Good bye, Shenji. Have fun, Duo."  
  
"Later Tro!" Duo called as the tall teen left. He smiled at Shenji. "Ha. Wufei's never gonna let you live this one down."  
  
She sighed. Leave it to Duo to laugh at her. She grinned a bit. He ~was~ funny, though.  
  
"Hey, you OK?"  
  
Startled by his seriousness, she smiled, blushed and nodded. 'Thanks, Duo.'  
  
Duo grinned. "I'm only askin' because Wufei-"  
  
'Some things will never change.' She sighed.  
  
~*~*  
  
Mikoshi mirrored her husband's anger tenfold.  
  
"So careless! We told you to train him, not ~maim~ him!" Kihono boomed, shaking his fists wildly.  
  
Hiiro stood stock-still, acting as if he wasn't even hearing a word they were saying.  
  
Mikoshi, so heated with anger, stepped forward and smacked Hiiro across the cheek.  
  
He showed no signs of feeling any pain, only shifted his weight with a grunt. His cheek stung and was red.  
  
Kihono shook his head as Mikoshi prepared to slap the boy again. He grabbed Hiiro by his collar, snarling into his face. "Look at me, ~boy~. Listen closely: if you ever hurt one of my trainees again, I will have you shot and killed, got it?" He tightened his hold around Hiiro's clothing. "I don't care how good a soldier you are, you're not ~that~ good. You're lucky I'm not stripping you of your authority in this camp. Now get out of my sight." He thrust Hiiro away from him roughly.  
  
Hiiro regained his balance, bowed to his leaders and left the room. He hadn't spoken a single word. Out in the hallway, he made a silent promise to himself. 'I ~will~ be better. I will be flawless.' He smirked. 'I will be perfect.'  
  
~**~  
  
Trowa and Quatre sat in silence in a private area of the camp. Loud planes roared over head then faded, leaving a smoke path behind.  
  
"We're really going to war?"  
  
"Yes, Quatre."  
  
Quatre sighed. "Wonderful." He muttered dryly.  
  
"Kay-sera-sera." Trowa said, so softly only the wind heard.  
  
*~*~  
  
Usagi opened her eyes as the sweat trickled down her forehead. 'Have to get better to defeat the Alliance. Can't waste a day of training.' She pushed herself up, then sat still. A familiar light-headed feeling wafted over her, air filling her lungs and making her body feel like it were floating. Her eyes clouded over and she gasped, unable to breathe for a minute, but the feeling quickly faded and the cool air vanished from the room.  
  
She gasped, sucking in air in great gulps and panting. She clenched the sheets around her as a final pain set itself upon her thigh-she ground her teeth together until it passed and a distant burning sensation was left. It, too, passed. She tore the sheets off of her body, ripping the bandage from her leg to find her suspicions confirmed: she had just healed herself.  
  
Rising up and out of bed, Usagi padded, in socks and only a shirt, underwear and boxer shorts, to the door and pulled it open, traveling to her dorm room. She was getting dressed to meet Hiiro.  
  
Their training session that day was a bit off-key at first, but they both got through the awkwardness and got down to serious training. For one, they both had things running through their mind. For Usagi, it was to defeat the Alliance. For Hiiro, it was to become perfect. Both met each other punch for punch, kick for kick. Hiiro even added in the knives, being more careful this time. Usagi was a quick learner when she wanted to be, and the third knife she threw landed in one of the outside rings of the dartboard. All in all, they had a fairly good training session.  
  
Until Hiiro demanded to know how Shenji was able to train while his leg was . . . wounded.  
  
Usagi made up an excuse about the cut not being as deep as everyone had thought (when in reality it was much deeper) and about it not being any of his business since, for one, Hiiro was the one who stabbed her in the first place.  
  
Grouchily Hiiro backed off and the matter wasn't pressed anymore by anyone.  
  
[AN: I'm gonna speed this up a lil, K?] Day 004, 005, 006, 007 and 008 they reviewed, worked with knives, and Hiiro even brought a gun. He had promised Shenji that he would get to use it one of these days, but not now. Shenji, in his mind, was becoming very skilled, not as good as Hiiro, but good enough to face-off against Duo. Now, Day 009, they would work with guns and moving targets. The gym was the regular training room.  
  
"Yes!" She couldn't stop hopping around. Her thigh wound had completely closed up, leaving her with only a scar. "Sir! Where're the guns? And who're the moving targets? And-"  
  
"No Hiiro. I won't do it. No, no, no."  
  
She giggled. "Hiya Duo. What'cha doin' in here?" She'd learned slang from the American boy.  
  
Duo frowned. "Yo. Hiiro wants me to be a moving target for you guys to shoot at. I told him I'm too young to die."  
  
Usagi grinned. "Please, Duo? You can have my chocolate cake at lunch from now on."  
  
"Considering you're never ~at~ lunch. No."  
  
"Yes." Hiiro loaded his gun, holding it to the back of Duo's head. "Now strap up."  
  
Duo sighed, grinning darkly. "Okay, okay. You got me, Hiiro." The gun was removed from the back of his head and he spun around, tripping Hiiro with his leg. He proceeded to attack him.  
  
Usagi's eyes widened. "What're you doing, Duo?" She yelled, watching the boys get into a fist-fight.  
  
Duo, knocked to the ground, laughed dizzily. "I figured I'd rather die by a fist-fight than a gun wound. Those things hurt."  
  
Hiiro, unfazed, scowled. "You really ~are~ as dumb as I thought. Strap up. Now."  
  
Duo stood, grumbling, and put on a bullet proof vest over his upper half, placing knee-vests and arm-vests on their respective places. "You better not shoot me on purpose either, Hiiro." He crossed his arms, pouting.  
  
Usagi, excited, jumped up. "Duo, just DO THIS or I'LL shoot you instead! Gimmie a gun, Hiiro!"  
  
Hiiro sent an icy stare at Shenji.  
  
Usagi flinched, laughing nervously. "I meant Sir."  
  
"Now," Hiiro continued, "Duo's going to act as a spy, hiding behind the dartboards and running back and forth from each board. I want you to shoot him."  
  
"I can do that-"  
  
"No." Hiiro glared at the boy. "I don't want you to shoot ~at~ him, I want you to shoot ~him~. Now go." He tossed Shenji a small handgun, loaded, and stepped out of the line of fire as Duo scampered behind a dartboard.  
  
She caught it with ease-Hiiro had taught her to catch guns the same way she caught knives, only skillfully-and quickly pulled the trigger, missing Duo and hitting the wall behind him. "Darn." She cursed, laughing. She fired again as he ran back and forth from each dartboard. Again and again she fired, and again and again she missed.  
  
Duo stopped running, glaring full-force at Shenji. "Damnit!" He growled, throwing up his hands. He stomped up to the giggling boy and placed the gun- nozzle first-on his chest. "Now shoot," he snarled, "because obviously this is the only way you'll ever hit me."  
  
"Duo, don't interfere with Shenji's training. I asked you to be a ~moving~ target, not a ~talking~ target." Hiiro crossed his arms. "He'll hit you sooner or later."  
  
"Yeah," Duo sneered, walking away, "more later than sooner."  
  
BANG!  
  
Hiiro smirked. "Told you."  
  
Usagi hopped up and down happily as she shot Duo again and again, not missing this time. She had caught him unaware, and she was having a helluva time. "Duo, stop moving!"  
  
"You can stop now!" Duo yelled, running back and forth. "The bullets are hurting my ears, Shenji! STOP SHOOTING!"  
  
She grinned wickedly, aiming for Duo's feet. "Dance for me, Duo!" She pummeled him with shots.  
  
"I'll kill you for this!" Duo hissed. "Dead. You're dead, Shenji!"  
  
Trowa and Quatre, trying desperately to conceal their laughter, watched Duo's ridiculous dance in private.  
  
"Well, at least Shenji's learning how to shoot." Quatre remarked, making him and his comrade burst into a fit of laughter.  
  
And still the days continued. Usagi was getting better with each session of training with Hiiro. The sessions lasted from 6:30 in the morning until 4:30 the next morning, and soon 2 hours worth of sleep was routine for Usagi.  
  
::21 days later::  
  
She stared at the ceiling, not wanting to get up. It was time. Today was the day. This was D-Day. Today was the day Mikoshi and Kihono would decide who was to continue their stay at the camp to train, and who was only going to slow down the rest of the trainees and be sent home. She sat up, eyes awakening to the darkness of her room. 6:23. She knew the time by the gray outside. Hiiro had trained her with all he knew, and she was skilled in gun handling, but she could use some more practice.  
  
She got up and went to the shower room, dragging a limp white towel and the customary clothing. Her shower was ice cold, quick, penetrating. She got dressed in silence, taking her dampened hair and wrapping/weaving it into a long braid, which she placed into a tight bun so it would get out of her way. [AN: Not a girly bun! Think of the buns the guys from Mulan wore. You know, Mulan, the movie?]  
  
To prove their worth to the camp, every single trainee was to fight in hand- to-hand combat against someone of a higher rank. Those who failed miserably would be cast away. Those who prevailed, or even failed honorably would be welcome to stay. Of course, everyone had the choice to go home.  
  
She went through the movements of punching, kicking, uppercuts, surprise attacks, sliding, ducking, tripping, plunging. She went to a door she often visited with no one but herself and the occupants around. She knocked.  
  
"Come in."  
  
She went inside. There was only one occupant right now, and she walked to him, curled into his bottom bunk bed and closed her eyes as he placed a blanket over her.  
  
Trowa smiled, brushed a stray strand of Usagi's hair out of her eyes and went back to work on his computer. Him and Quatre had been asked to stay at the camp with Mikoshi so she could have them give their opinions on who should stay and who should leave. Quatre was with Mikoshi discussing things to look for in the trainees right now. Usagi often visited him to talk or just sleep in his and Quatre's room when the blonde boy was out. She never went to lunch, only trained while others pigged out. She ate alone, and only ate vegetables and good meats, drinking water. He knew. He looked out for her.  
  
~**~  
  
Duo, in the gym with Hiiro and Wufei, cocked his gun, then slipped it back into the holster. He repeated these movements with trained agility, then went to train with Wufei.  
  
Hiiro trained himself, not stopping for anything or anyone. He was determined to fight. Was determined-ready-to be perfect.  
  
~**~  
  
Mikoshi looked at the whistle, a silent prayer being uttered in her mind. 'Kami, please let Shenji prove himself today. Please, ~please~ let Shenji prove himself worthy of Kihono.' She glanced at her husband as he brought the whistle of attendance to his lips, and he blew.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well . . . hi! I've missed this story! Have you guys? Okay, I'm sorry about the whole not updating in 2 months thing, but I completely messed up when I tried to update this chapter [well . . . this 2-part chapter] and didn't have to courage to try to update it again because I thought something worse would happen.  
  
So . . . yeah, sorry about that ^.^. I hope the 2-part thing made up for it! I promise I'll get the next chapters out as soon as possible, but I got a job! [Technically I'm too young to have one, but somebody sympathized with me, and . . . blammo, I got a job!]  
  
Back to the story . . .  
  
PHEW!!! Oh my goodness!!! That was looooong!!!! Heh, you guys are happy, eh? Well, next chapter the fighting begins! We'll see who stays and who leaves. Oh, and everyone? Usa's been training for a month, and the day is October 31st. Welp, let's see if she does well, or fails miserably. I can continue the story both ways.  
  
If she wins, hey, she'll get to train with the others and have a lil romance with one of the guys [Who, ahem, you need to, you know, VOTE FOR a bit more. Haha, but you guys've been doing great w/ the voting, so thank you!!], plus everyone else'll have to find out she's a girl sooner or later, right? You do the math.  
  
If she fails, then she goes home, but that doesn't mean she can't do anything about her friends. After all, she now knows how to heal herself without her magic henshin stick, or Hotaru; plus, she's been trained by one of the elite, so she can defend herself. Besides, she still wants to find Makato and the others, and her family, right? Again, you do the math.  
  
::snickers:: I know, I'm leavin you all hanging. Hope you liked this chapter!!! Sorry again!!! Review!!  
  
~azure_chan~ 


	14. Chapter 12

Author's note at the bottom. Guys, I'm really sorry about the 2 year hiatus.. but I haven't forgotten this story! I promise!

Enough of my babbling..

Chapter 12:

The whistle blow summoned the whole camp of boys to the back of the school, where their commanding officers stood waiting, along with four neat rows of older boys who all stood side-by-side, legs spread, arms folded in front of their chests; all were waiting patiently. Among them was Hiiro, eyes dull and lifeless, face wiped of any emotion that would portray his feelings.

Trainees of all shapes and sizes stretched and practiced moves they'd learned in the past months they'd been living at the boot camp. Every now and then, two or three boys would glance nervously at the threatening row of superiors. A strong sense of overwhelming fear, anxiousness, and excitement was apparent to any that watched the interactions. The knowledge of their upcoming fight was enough to make any weary.

Mikoshi and Kihono stood side-by-side in front of the rows; they were clothed head-to-toe in military attire, the same clothing they'd worn during the first war. They watched the trainees closely, their faces portraying neither pity nor hope.

Usagi sat among the trainees, stretching beside Duo. She was more nervous than she'd ever been in her entire lifetime of being a Senshi. There was a certain feeling she'd usually feel before fighting an enemy from the Negaverse, but what she felt now was nothing like she'd ever experienced. Nausea settled itself low in her stomach, fear pulsed in her head, and her lip throbbed with pain as her two front teeth sunk lower and lower into the pink flesh.

"Scared." It wasn't a question. Duo supportively patted Shenji on the knee, noting how pale the boy had become. Wufei had disappeared among the large group of trainees, and Duo hadn't seen him since.

Usagi's eyes sought out and found Trowa, standing next to Kihono, and beside him was Quatre. All were dressed in military attire, yet while Mikoshi and Kihono's uniforms were navy blue, Trowa and Quatra's uniforms were a deep olive. _They're all talking_, she noted, and wondered what it was about.

"Shenji."

She looked at Duo, the question in her eyes.

"I don't know about you, but I'm terrified." He grinned sheepishly when the other boy smiled. "I'm just sayin' that maybe we should be getting ready like everyone else is. I can't say that I'm fully ready for this test, and—"

"I know what you mean," she interrupted softly, sighing. "Duo, I don't know why I ever thought I could become a soldier. I'm totally not cut out for this." Usagi felt a small light inside of her flicker, then fade. Looking at all of these boys made her realize that she was in over her head. Way more than she'd ever been in her life. "I should," she muttered, more to herself than to Duo, "I should just give up and go home before I get up there and take a beating worse than any I've ever felt before."

Duo frowned, shaking his head. "Don't even start with that pathetic bullshit, Shenji. If you didn't believe you could take this test, you wouldn't have trained so long and hard with Hiiro." When the other boy merely lowered his eyes, Duo shrugged. "Alright, if that's how you feel. But I can't believe you're gonna walk away just like that. You didn't get that cool scar for nothin'."

Usagi smiled a small smile. Duo was talking about the knife wound she had on her thigh. Her scar had appeared shortly after she'd healed herself, which had been quite strange considering that she'd never gained scars whenever she had healed herself in the past.

"Besides," Duo continued, rubbing his ankle absentmindedly, "if we get through training, we get to become Alliance—"

Blood suddenly seemed to rush through her system at the word 'Alliance'. Hot and cold raced through her veins, causing Usagi to tense, then shiver while she clenched her fists and teeth as tight as she could. _How could I have forgotten?_ she asked herself, glaring mercilessly at the ground beneath her. _How could I have forgotten that my whole reason for being here has changed? How could I have forgotten my family and friends? _Her head pulsed, her heart raced.

"You're right, Duo." Her voice was colder than she'd meant it to be. "I'm doing this to get to the Alliance."

Duo grinned and chucked Shenji on the shoulder, mistaking the other boy's malice for passion. "That's the spirit. Now let's haul ass. Might have a few more minutes of practice." He pushed himself up and off the ground, then held out his hand to Shenji and pulled him up as well.

Duo dropped into a fighting stance and nodded to Shenji. "Shall we dance?"

Usagi dropped into her own stance and grinned back playfully. "Let's."

Kihono's eyes swept over the whole camp of trainees, and he grimaced. "They're not ready," he growled quietly. "Not ready at all."

"I agree." Mikoshi's eyes followed her husband's, and she shook her head slowly. "We're losing time, Kihono. This morning, Princess Relena announced that there was a direct attack on the Cinq Kingdom. She's already sent troops to each colony. These boys we're training are among the only ones left."

"There's only so many training camps. We need more time."

"Unfortunately, sir," Trowa intervened, "we don't have any more time."

Quatre nodded solemnly. "Sir, I'm not even sure if we'll have time for a second semester. According to the Princess, we're getting closer and closer to sending everyone out, ready or not."

Mikoshi watched two trainee boys spar. She noted how flimsy their movements were, how sloppy they looked. Her heart sank. "We're not ready. We started this camp with the knowledge that we'd have time. We—"

"There wasn't supposed to be a damned war." Kihono glared through the trainees. "There wasn't supposed to be a war."

"But there is a war." Trowa said, as his eyes swept over the trainees in front of him. "Many of these boys you've trained will die. Many will falter under the pressure of war, and many will respond to this pressure by aligning themselves with Oz." And after saying this, he spotted Usagi.

Quatre followed Trowa's gaze and his eyes softened. If there was anyone who had worked hard at this camp, it had been Shenji. But if there was also anyone who would probably die early on in this war, if they were to become a soldier, it would be Shenji.

"Well," Mikoshi stated, breaking through the tensed silence. "We mustn't waste what little time we do have." She glanced at Kihono and at his nod, she blew her own whistle.

Immediately, each trainee stood up straight and tall, rigid and unmoving, silent and tensed.

Kihono glanced over the congregation of trainees only once before barking out what he had to say. "All of you are here for a reason, and all of us know what that reason is. Due to a change in the world outside of this camp, there will be many sudden and urgent changes happening upon the end of this test." He paused, then nodded to Mikoshi to continue.

She stepped forward. "Those who fail this test, honorably or not, will be sent home. There is simply no room for anyone who is not strong enough to withstand the current war. Yes, gentlemen, we are at war."

No one said a word, yet many trainee boys turned ghostly pale and shared looks went all around the camp.

Beside Usagi, only those around her could hear Duo's sharp intake of breath. She remained still and unmoved, as the knowledge of the war had been presented to her early on. The Alliance was the cause of the war. The Alliance was to be destroyed.

"Because of this fact," Mikoshi continued loudly, "we can only accept the best of the best, and many of you do not fit in this category. Those of you who fail will be sent home immediately. You are to go back to your dorm, pack your things, and report to the front of the school. The train that brought you here will be taking you all to a station, and from there you will be taken home."

Usagi's body trembled slightly, and her blood chilled in its veins. Sent home? She couldn't be sent home! If she were to be sent home… how would she ever achieve what she'd come to the camp to achieve? Especially now that she had a reason to fight. This war was the root of all evil in her book. Realizing this, she lifted her eyes to the sky and bit her lip, sending a mental distress signal. _Setsuna_, she thought urgently_, if you're still watching me, and you're probably not because Rei told me you left, but if you are.. Please, please help me in this fight. Please, I have to do this for everyone. For my family. For my life. _

"Now." Kihono's voice roared loud and clear over the camp. "We will begin this test. All of you will fight in front of your fellow trainees. There is no shame in failure. There is only shame quitting. Listen closely to my instructions…"

Each trainee was to be paired with a superior member of the camp. The pair would then stand in front of the camp of boys, and at Mikoshi's whistle, would fight until one or the other won. Since the test was only for the trainees, only the trainees would leave if they lost.

"The first pair," Kihono began, noting how deathly silent the camp was. "The first pair will be: Duo Maxwell and Hiiro Yui."

Duo's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He couldn't speak. Couldn't move. _Me and Hiiro?_ he thought, panicking_. Shit. Hiiro is gonna to kick my ass. Easily. _A warm touch on his arm made him jump out of his mental panic. He looked over at Shenji. The boy smiled back.

"You'll do fine." Usagi smiled as encouragingly as she could. Hiiro was an excellent fighter. He was elite, and it wasn't as if everyone didn't know this. Duo would really have to work for this. "You'll do just fine."

He received many pitying stares as he trudged up to the front of the camp, frowning at the occasional snicker he heard every now and then. _If I lose_, Duo thought, _I go home. But to what? I don't _have _a home to go back to. _That was partly why he'd signed up for the camp. Any shelter was better than none.

Hiiro was waiting for him when he arrived. _He's afraid_, Hiiro noted, mentally satisfied. _This will go quickly._ He stood straight and tall, arms crossed, legs spread.

Duo swallowed hard. The adrenaline pumped through his veins and the silence throughout the camp pounded in his ears. Hiiro was looking just as comfortable as he could. Wait.. was he even smirking? _Cocky bastard. Cocky, confident bastard. _A small flicker of anger rose up in Duo at Hiiro's attitude. _He thinks he'll wipe the floor with me? Asshole. If I lose, I'll go out with a fight._

Duo dropped into his stance. He was ready.

Mikoshi looked at her husband, and he nodded. She blew her whistle.

No one moved. Life itself seemed to stop. Duo was crouched in his stance, waiting, and Hiiro stood tall, rigid, arms crossed, also waiting.

_Why the hell doesn't he attack me?_ Duo's mind was racing, ready, on edge. His body was almost trembling with anticipation. _Attack, you fool!_

And still as stone, Hiiro stood, his gaze level and meeting Duo's without wavering.

Duo was antsy, impatient. _I can't take this waiting anymore. If you won't attack, I _**will**And he was off. He lunged at Hiiro with his fist outstretched, intent upon packing a mighty blow.

Seconds before impact, Hiiro tilted his head to the side, and Duo's punch flew past his ear. The wind whistled as it did so.

Duo stumbled a bit, caught his balance, and faced Hiiro again. He growled, dropping into his stance once more, waiting. He'd made the first move, and Hiiro had merely tilted his head to avoid it.

Yet still, Hiiro stood rigid, refusing to move. His arms remained crossed, and his feet remained parted.

This confused Duo. Hiiro was a known fighter—he was an elitist! _So why the hell isn't he fighting back? Why isn't he attacking me? _His eyes picked apart each of Hiiro's features, and then Duo stopped cold. _And why the hell is he smirking? _Then, it hit him.

Hiiro was playing with him.

The knowledge sent Duo into a tiny fit of rage, and he trembled visibly. Hiiro was playing with him. Playing with his future, his dreams, his goal, and his ambition. Playing with him as if he were some kind of object that had little to no value.

Anger coursed through Duo's body, and he tensed. _Bastard! I'll show you what you're playing with!_ He lunged again, but instead of punching, he swung his leg out.

Hiiro sidestepped and leaned his body back, and Duo's leg swung right past his chest. The only thing Hiiro felt was the air that swished from the force of Duo's kick.

Now, Duo was riveting with anger. He dropped back into his stance, his eyes clear and sharp, focused solely on Hiiro. The world seemed to drop around him, and the only thing in his line of fire was Hiiro, his obstacle. "Fight back or forfeit!" His voice was deep, rumbling. His eyes were ablaze with fury.

Hiiro's eyes were cold and unmoving. The smirk upon his face vanished the second Duo lunged for the third time, fist outstretched. In his eyes, the whole fight was moving in slow motion, and as Duo's fist inched closer and closer to his face, Hiiro reared his own fist back, then shot it forward, meeting Duo's fist head on with his own.

The pain shot through Duo's wrist almost immediately, and it dragged its way up Duo's arm, causing it to vibrate. The sickening thud of bone hitting bone beat heavily in Duo's ears, and a groan flew from his mouth before he could stop it. He stumbled back and clutched his fist, trying to soothe the pain by rubbing his fingers and wrist.

_Mistake._ Hiiro ducked low, lunged forward.

Duo didn't even see the other boy—he simply felt him. A new pain settled itself low in his gut, then shot upward to his chest and squeezed every bit of air out of his body. Duo stumbled back and let go of his wrist, only to clutch his stomach and grunt as he fell. Hiiro had punched him in the stomach while he'd been unaware.

And he wasn't finished. Duo stumbled only once before Hiiro flew into action by sending a powerful punch to Duo's jaw, causing the other boy to fall hard to the ground with a thud. Hiiro spread his fingers wide, then quickly clenched his fists. A loud crunch could be heard as he did this. His knuckles had stiffened with that last punch, and now they were cracked, relaxed.

Duo fell on his hands and knees, clutching the dirt below him as he spit out a small wad of blood that spurted from his busted lip. Inside his mouth, his cheek had also been torn open because of his teeth and Hiiro's punch. He let the blood gather up into a puddle, then forcefully spit it out upon the ground, yet some still dribbled in a thin, heavy line of saliva mingled with blood, from his lips.

Hiiro stood over him, silent and merciless. His face was calm; his eyes were narrowed and cool. He spoke one word.

"Weak."

Duo's face immediately contorted into a mask of anger, and he clenched the dirt in front of his so hard that it gathered painfully under his fingernails. His fingers scraped the ground, and he growled. _Weak? I'll show you 'weak', you ass._

Hiiro took a step forward, but before he could blink, Duo's leg shot out and up from the ground, catching Hiiro square in the chest. The boy heard a crack in his ears, and a hot pain soured throughout his body all at once. He stumbled back, wheezing. For a moment his limbs were numb, and he clutched his chest, trying in vain to suck air into his body, only dragging in ragged, broken breaths.

Duo didn't think twice. He pushed himself off of the ground and reared his fist back, then shot it directly at Hiiro's face.

At the moment of impact, Hiiro gasped painfully and threw his hands up, catching Duo's punch in both palms.

_Perfect._ Duo swung with his other hand, his wounded hand, and caught Hiiro at his temple. The sound of bone meeting bone once again reverberated throughout his ears, yet instead of pain, Duo felt a rush of rage fill his body as Hiiro grunted loudly and stumbled backward.

Hiiro was in pain. His chest ached from Duo's blow, and he already knew it had caused a rib to break. Now, his head pounded from Duo's punch, and a deafening pain cut through his body. Yet it didn't stop there. Duo had become mad, and he was attacking Hiiro mercilessly.

Each punch Duo threw landed on its mark. He punched with one fist and hit, and then swung back around with his other fist, meeting flesh wherever he swung. He didn't even realize that his punches had caused both boys to fall back, and that now he sat on top of Hiiro, punching the boy's face as hard and fast as he could, as if trying to beat the other boy's skull in.

Hiiro couldn't move his hands to block Duo's punches, especially since the boy was on top of him, and his face was slick and wet with the blood Duo was causing to flow. The pain was excruciating, and he was sick of it. Hiiro lifted his leg and kneed Duo's back as hard as he could, causing Duo to fly off of Hiiro's stomach and land on his back. Hiiro took the opportunity to roll over onto his stomach, struggling to push himself up and spit blood and dirt from his mouth at the same time.

Duo's eyes were squeezed shut and sweat poured down his face. His mouth was wide open, sucking in air, and his breaths were ragged and loud. Blood trickled down one side of his mouth, and his chest heaved painfully. From behind him, he heard Hiiro struggling to stand. _Have to get up_, he thought wearily, eyes popping open. He rolled over onto his own stomach, eyeing Hiiro as hard as Hiiro was eyeing him. Well, as hard as Hiiro _could _eye him—one of the boy's eyes was swollen shut, and it was a deep, dangerous purple in coloring. This had long ago stopped being a test.

This was a fight to the death.

Hiiro wearily pulled himself up to his feet, and sweat swept itself into his one good eye. Blood dripped lazily from his lips, and his whole body was aching. His rib was broken, his face was cut and open from Duo's punches, and his skin was slick with sweat and dirt from the ground. _This ends now._ And without another thought, he tore towards Duo, arms outstretched, fingers wide, intent on tearing the boy to pieces.

Duo's adrenaline kicked itself back into gear, and he met Hiiro's open fingers with his own, causing both boys to lock their hands together, standing, gripping each other madly in a fight for dominance. Duo pushed against Hiiro's palms, and he felt an equal amount of force being pushed back against his own.

Their eyes were locked, just as their hands were. Their stance was the same; their bodies were worn. But neither was going to give in.

Duo felt faint from the heat, the sweat, the pulsating blood from his cheeks and mouth, and from the pounding in his head, and the pain searing throughout his body. But he wasn't going to give this fight to Hiiro. He wasn't going to stop fighting until either he or Hiiro was dead. Or both.

Hiiro was thinking likewise. His teeth were clenched and the blood boiled in his veins, drowning out the pain that coursed throughout his own body. He pushed, and felt the same force being pushed back on him. He growled, and a growl was his only response. _I will not give in. I will **not fail. I will not—**_

The whistle blew.

Kihono's eyes were wide and surprised, as were Mikoshi's. Her mouth was open, drawing in short breaths, and her hand was gripping Kihono's arm just as hard as Kihono was balling his fist. The boys were still locked in their passionate struggle for dominance, as if they hadn't even heard the whistle.

Mikoshi blew again, yet still neither boy wavered. Their fingers were locked together so tightly that both sets of knuckles were white with pressure.

"Stop! The fight is over!" Kihono bellowed. "I said STOP!"

Duo snapped out of his madness at the word, and at the same time, lost the force he was pushing on Hiiro.

Hiiro snapped to his senses as well, and dropped Duo's hands at the same time Duo dropped his. He wrapped his arms around himself painfully, breathing raggedly. He cast one look at Duo, and noted how pale and tired the other boy looked. How dirty, how bloody, how worn.

Duo met the stare with one of his own. _Did I do all of that to Hiiro?_ The other boy's eye was swollen shut, his face was caked with old blood and new, and his chest heaved painfully. _Dude…_

Mikoshi shook her head, looking at Kihono, who only nodded. He leaned over to Trowa and whispered something in the boy's ear.

Trowa nodded back, and faced Hiiro, Duo, and the rest of the silent, watchful camp.

"Both boys," he began, "will remain in this camp. Next up!"

And that was that. No discussion, no dwelling, no congratulations. Just 'next up'. The pain settled itself upon Duo's body ten-fold, and he limped over to a spot on the ground to sit with his fellow trainees. He watched Hiiro do the same, except he went back and settled himself on the ground with the superiors. He looked up at Duo, narrowing one eye. Duo agreed mentally.

Hatred between them had been born.

Usagi scurried through the crowd of boys to find Duo. She'd seen him sit, looking for all the world like a dead man on his feet. When she got to him, his eyes were closed, mouth open, and he was breathing hard. She knelt, biting her lip. "Hey Duo?"

"What?" His eyes remained closed, yet his breathing had calmed a bit, slowed down.

"DUO!" Usagi's little squeal was a happy one, and she slapped him on the chest, smiling like a fool. "Duo, you're alive!"

He grunted loudly, flinching. "Yeah.. but if you slap me again, I don't know if that'll still be true."

She smiled down at him, poking his chest. "You're one tough cookie, huh? Man, you really smoted Hiiro out there!"

"Smoted? I don't even want to know."

Usagi nodded happily. "Yeah, I've been studying new words. I learned 'smoted'. You know, the Inter—"

"Shenji." Duo opened one eye. "You know.. there are times when people would really like to sleep…"

Usagi nodded. "Okay?"

"…Dude, this is totally one of those times."

She took the hint. Duo wanted to rest a little. He'd just wiped the dust with Hiiro. She looked over him. "Okay, Duo," she whispered, "sleep tight."

He mumbled something and closed the one eye.

She sat back, deciding to wait impatiently until her name was called. It wasn't that she was ready for her fight, but watching other people go at it just made her antsy altogether. Besides that, time was passing as slowly as it possibly could.

Each superior member was dressed in a crimson colored gi, while the trainees were all dressed in white. _"White is the color of innocence."_ Trowa had said_. "Red is the color of experience."_ She bit her lip anxiously. _White is the color of innocence_, she thought. _White is the color of_—

"Shenji Tsukino and Wufei Chang."

Her blood froze.

_Wufei?_

Her eyes were wide with shock and little flecks of fear.

_All of this time. Wufei was. An elitist?_

It didn't make any sense, and at the same time, it did. When she'd first come to the camp, he'd always been around Hiiro. He was vicious, cruel, unwavering, just like Hiiro. He was an extraordinary fighter. He'd been a well-kept secret. He was elite.

And he was waiting for her up front.

She pushed herself up and onto wobbly legs. Her breathing deepened. Sweat gathered under her armpits, causing a prickling sensation so uncomfortable that she rubbed her arms hard against her sides. The lump in her throat wouldn't go down.

It seemed as if she were walking in slow motion, because Wufei's eyes followed her every move, mocking and laughing at her, yet his face was a mask of complete calm.

Trowa watched her the whole time, yet there was no compassion in his eyes. _This is your time, Usagi._ He thought. _From here on out, you're on your own._

As if she'd heard him, she cast one look toward Trowa and breathed deeply to calm herself. Then, she faced Wufei, nodded, and crouched down.

It was time.

AN:

You can't hate me for ending there. Well.. you sort of can since I haven't updated this in about 2 years. But.. I'm _asking_ you not to hate me! I told you I wouldn't forget about this story, and I haven't. (Yeah, here come the excuses..) I've had a major, major mind block with this. I knew where I wanted to go with the story, but getting there was pretty difficult. I know there's no real good excuse, but I'm sorry. I haven't forgotten this! And now that I have more time, updates should be more frequent. Thank you to all who haven't given up on me (though, I'm pretty sure that's not a lot of people. Heh ;) Some of you hate me for not continuing, but I'm sorry. Really, I am /

Hope you enjoyed! My Way is back up and running.


	15. Chapter 12 Pt 2

Sorry guys… I know, I know! I say this every time I post a new chapter to this story, but I'm truly sorry. But, you know, on a sweet note, I started this story when I was a freshman in High School, and now I'm a senior in High School, and I'll be graduating in May!

…yeah, I know you all still hate me. But I promise! I've not given up on My Way. You see? Another chapter. Please don't give up on me. I'm just… slow x( But seriously, sorry guys.

This is going to be a very.. interesting chapter. Not for the faint of heart, and not for those who shouldn't be reading a fic rated M. This is the turning point of the story, where my rating comes in to play. Hope you enjoy and I don't let you down too too much with this chapter 

I LOVE YOU ALL! No.. seriously, I do.

Enjoy!

My Way

Chapter 12 pt. 2:

Her head itched. Itched with all the anger that nerves and sweat can cause a head to itch, and so hers did. Her arms prickled with heat and sweat, and no matter where she turned, all she could see was Wufei.

Wufei's eyes were the color of death. Black, empty, ruthless orbs of triumph and cruelty, merciless with the experience of battle. On one hand, Usagi saw just a boy with black hair and eyes, with a nice build and a smirk on his face. On the other hand, she saw a trained elitist, eyes full of hate and intent upon ending her stay at the training camp. The smirk became a promise; one that Wufei seemed bent on keeping.

Usagi swallowed a rock of nerves. She stood in front of him, shorter and thinner, weaker and more afraid. Yet at the same time, her heart pumped with a new anticipation, and the blood that coursed through her veins seemed to scream with a bright excitement. A low pressure pushed deep in her abdomen, painful and welcome at the same time. Her whole body seemed to be reacting to this moment in time, this part of life she'd been training for the past six months. Was she ready, or not? Would she win, or not? Her body said one thing, her mind said another.

Mikoshi was speaking quietly with Kihono. She looked at the two fighters, and then looked back at the general. The pounding in her ears made it hard for Usagi to hear everything, but she caught snippets.

"Unprepared," Mikoshi was saying. "…extremely…Wufei and Shenji…match…expert in martial arts…temple guard…"

Usagi swallowed and stood in her still stance. Wufei stood tall, eyes now closed, arms crossed. He was a tree of confidence, a boulder of strength. And she was afraid of him.

Abruptly, a whistle blew. It blew loud and shrill, powerful and final.

Stupidly, Usagi turned her head toward the whistle to look at Trowa, but he wasn't even looking at her. She almost bristled. Didn't he care? What was he looking at? She turned her eyes and knew.

Wufei.

Wufei, hard and merciless. Wufei on her, over her, under her. Wufei everywhere and anywhere, and in all places painful.

She saw him once, but in the next moment he disappeared and a new bruise, bloody and festering, replaced his face. She felt pains everywhere, all at once, but couldn't seem to stop them. Inwardly, Usagi screamed and outwardly she blindly fought back, trying to find her attacker and failing each time.

Until finally, with one blow, she felt her head fly back and slam hard against the dirt ground. Pain vibrated throughout her entire skull. Usagi moaned allowed, spit blood, coughed, and wheezed all at once. She rolled over onto her side and pressed her hand hard into her swollen eye. Wufei had hit her directly in the face, so hard she'd been flung onto the ground. She hadn't gotten even one hit in.

She heard him prancing around her, circling her curled up body, complaining.

"_This_ is my challenge?" he was shouting at Kihono and Mikoshi. "This is what I have trained six months to fight? This is my chance to prove that I am worthy to be a soldier—that I will be worthy in battle?" His eyes shot down toward Shenji's pitiful body, and he spit in the other boys face. "This is bullshit. This—" he grabbed the other boy by his partly unraveled bun and yanked the head up so all could see Shenji's battered face. "—this isn't even a man. This is nothing!" He threw Shenji's head down and kicked a bit of dirt in the boy's face. "This is a waste of my time." Wufei was seething, insulted. How dare anyone pit him against such an unworthy opponent!

Usagi was humiliated on top of being in pain. The back of her head throbbed where Wufei had yanked her, and her eyes stung a bit from the dirt inside of them. She tried blinking a few times and her eyes flooded themselves to get the particles out. Her bruised eye pulsated and protested when she blinked. She clenched her teeth. She clenched her fist.

_Impossible.. I haven't even fought.. I'm already beaten.. I've already failed.._

And she wanted to forfeit. What was she doing there? What was she doing in a camp? In a military camp! She was a senshi, not a war-hero! She wore tiny skirts and boots and used magic—she didn't parade around in oversized disgusting sweats and loose shirts. She didn't clunk around in boots and tie her hair back. She loved her hair. She was a woman, not a man. She was a senshi, not a human soldier!

_Setsuna.. Ai.. where are you now? How could you leave me here! How could you let this happen! _And this time, hot tears seeped from her eyes as the wind stopped blowing, people stopped murmuring and the world around her stopped moving. Time stood still. All of this went unnoticed, and still Usagi cried.

_I am a Princess. I am Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. I am royalty—I am not a human scum-soldier! I do not fight in wars against worthless humans who try to kill each other for power. No, I fight for love and peace, and I fight with my Senshi! Setsuna.. Ai.. how could you let this happen to me?_

Usagi lay still in a shivering, heaving ball of sobs and genuine sorrow. Pitiful and alone, and she waited. She waited, and waited, and waited. Nothing happened. In the back of her mind, she expected Setsuna to appear and take her away, for her senshi to appear and fight with her and show everyone true power. She expected Mamoru, her love Mamoru, to re-live and rescue her from this task, as he had so many times before. She expected someone.. something from the old days, the days of Tokyo and high school..

And no one came.

Usagi sniffled and sighed. No one would come. The world was not hers anymore. Distantly, she thought of Rei and Rini and the news they'd brought the one time they had come to see her. Where were they now? Alone, like her? Bruised and battered, like her? Fighting an enemy that couldn't be taken down with magic because magic didn't exist—like her? So human, and so impossible to defeat. So human, and so impossible to defeat. So…

_Human.. _Usagi's eyes opened a bit and gathered a deep, painful breath. Humans. Humans were the creatures that tore lives apart and ruined planets. Humans were the people who killed and destroyed just for the thrill of power. No, she was not a human. She was Lunarian. Humans could die. Lunarians…_could not?_

For the first time, Usagi saw Wufei. His eyes were cold, steel, and motionless. His body was rigid and unmoving. He was frozen in time, just as everyone else was. He was pitted against and force he had no recollection of. He wasn't fighting another human—he was fighting a Lunarian.

Slowly, surely, and painfully, Usagi pushed herself to her feet. She stood as tall as she could and licked the blood from her lip, and then swallowed it. Unlike humans, Lunarians could stop time. And at one point, Usagi had fought for humans. Fought fair for humans. Fought for her friends—humans. Fought for the world.

But the world didn't care, and neither would she.

Kihono carried a knife in his belt. A blade so sharp it would cut without hesitation. A clean and deep cut. A cut Usagi needed.

She looked at Wufei, frozen in his spot, and she almost laughed. He looked so pitiful, so helpless. So angry.

She would kill him.

The knife was in her hands before she even realized it, and then she was looking at Trowa. His eyes were frozen, but still gentle. Still radiating the kindness she'd come to expect from him, pools of brown compassion. Pools of brown conviction. For one moment, she felt ashamed. Embarrassed and ashamed. And then she looked over at Hiiro. His eyes were frozen malice, urging her on. _"Kill him.."_ they said in a seductive, whispery sweetness. _"Kill him and be done. This is a command."_ Her mind swelled with thoughts. Her conscience said no. Her instinct said yes. Her stomach boiled with pain and anxiousness, and then just pain without anxiousness. The stress of six months had built up to this moment, and now it boiled over on her and Kihono's knife, angry, thick, and bloody.

_Oh, my God.._

Her control was slipping. She could hear birds chirping again, could see the life flickering back into Wufei's eyes, and at the last moment, right before her hold on time was gone, she threw Kihono's knife and it slid nicely in front of Wufei's feet.

Wufei's rant started as if it had never stopped. "…this pitiful piece of human existence!" he was screaming, and he flung his hand at Shenji, his audience the whole camp, and then he looked at the other boy in anger. Then, in shock. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped slight. Confused, he squinted a bit at the boy's training gi. A familiar, question color stained the front of the boy's pants, quickly expanding with each breath the boy took. It slid to the ground and splattered, staining the boy's shoes as well. "What the f—"

"Treason!" The scream was high and feminine. The voice was cold and final.

Usagi felt faint, felt faint and nauseas and angry, pressing cramps dug into her abdomen until she couldn't even stand any longer. She fell to her knees in a sticky, bloody mess, and then she was lying on her side, eyes flickering between blue and a pale slate color. Her head pounded.

People were yelling. People were running, talking. Wufei was arguing with Kihono and Mikoshi, and someone was lifting Usagi up onto a stretcher. A threat was being made. People were everywhere, around her, touching her, pulling at her clothes. Voices were screaming, screaming and gasping, continuing in this pattern until they meshed into one loud, pushing voice inside Usagi's aching skull.

And then, without anyone telling her, she knew. She knew that _they_ knew.

Usagi had been found out.

Shenji was a woman.

* * *

Okay, now if you guys don't get what happened, it'll all be explained in the next chapter. I promise! And I won't take forever to get the next chapter out. Really, I won't. I write as this comes to me. I'm so sorry again, guys. Please don't hate me!

AzureChan


	16. Chapter 13

'Kay guys. Here we are at chapter 13. Won't say much soo:

Enjoy!

My Way  
by AzureChan

Chapter 13:

She stayed awake through the whole ordeal.

Medical experts cleaned her wounds and attended her hurts. They padded her lower body and explained that the stress that had been building for months had kept her body from naturally producing the eggs which, according to her internal clock, would be released from her body in the cleansing process every female knew as her menstrual cycle. Due to the heat, the extremely stressful circumstances and a peculiar feminine-like urgency—Usagi credited it to her moment of revelation when she halted time—her loins had burst forth and she had, quite unnaturally, begun her cycle. They explained this as nicely as they could.

The bandages had been removed from Usagi's upper half and her breasts hung free and sore, grown but still smaller than they should have been due to her continuous athletic activity at the camp. She was showered and her hair had been washed so that the cut in her head could be attended to.

She sat on a medical cot, hands between her knees and head hung low, her hair pulled back in a loose, flowing pony tail and her femininity roughened but openly apparent. Beside her was a closed door, hiding a small office that smelled of sandpaper and bandages, and inside that office was Kihono and Mikoshi, and the medical expert. Their voices rose steadily, then dropped. Rose steadily, and dropped. But through all of the speech, Usagi could only hear _"treason.."_ ringing inside of her head like a loud, silencing sentence.

On either side of her cot stood two uniformed men, badges littered all over their deep olive suits. Usagi's eyes wandered over to one of the men's polished black boots, and she noticed, distantly, that she could almost see her face in his shoes. Their hands were positioned neatly behind their backs, but Usagi had seen the handcuffs before Kihono and Mikoshi had attended the meeting with the medical expert.

Her plan had failed.

Her attempts to frame Wufei had failed, and so her plan had failed. When she realized she was bleeding, Usagi had planned on throwing the knife at Wufei to make it look like he'd stabbed her. Unfortunately, when her body was probed and prodded for the knife wound, the other boys found female attributes instead of a cut. The scariest part had been the hunger in some of the other boys' eyes when they'd discovered the differences in 'Shenji'. Some hands had lingered a little too long, some eyes had glittered a little too brightly. But Kihono and Mikoshi were outraged, and they had had her cleaned. Now, she was probably being sentenced.

And through it all, she hadn't seen Trowa once.

_He was supposed to be here,_ she thought. _He's not even here to comfort me…_

The door swung open. Usagi stood abruptly, eyes wide and afraid, mouth trembling and mind racing. "I-I'm.. I-I…"

Kihono silenced the girl with his stare. "What is your name, female?" he all but spat out.

"Usagi. Usagi Tsukino," she breathed. "I—"

"Do you know the penalty for posing as a man in a boot camp?" Mikoshi interrupted, disappointment deep within the gray of her eyes.

Usagi shook her head and felt that familiar prickling in her eyes.

"It's death, Tsukino."

Duo lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, silence pressing heavy in the room. His hurts were forgotten for the moment. "Man," he breathed. "Man, man, man."

"_Wo_man," Wufei corrected through clenched teeth. "Filthy, stinking woman. A waste of breath and my time." His fists were balled so tightly that his knuckles bled white. "She should be punished."

"She will be." All eyes turned to Hiiro. "It's treason," he continued in his slow, deep voice. "She posed as a man. The price is death."

"_Death?_" Duo sat up straight, eyes wide. "Dude.. you can't be serious. What's so bad about acting like a guy? All they need to do is send her ass home. It's not like she killed someone."

"She's wasted precious training time, both mine and Kihono's. She's wasting time as we speak. Have you forgotten about the war?"

He scowled, remembering that new hatred he had for Hiiro. "So, you're saying we should just kill her off, then? That's bullshit. I thought this colony had more morals than that."

Wufei glared hotly at Duo. "You, _boy_, have no idea of what you speak about. This colony is to be one of strength, and we have no time for a woman to screw everything up. We have worked hard to be soldiers!"

Duo glared right back. "Don't give me that crap, Wufei. I'm in no mood." He looked over at Hiiro. "Man, all I'm saying is that they should at least let her live. Hell, punish her, whatever. But don't kill a girl just for acting like a guy. She didn't even do anything!"

"It's not my decision, Duo," Hiiro replied carelessly. "It's policy."

"Policy. Shit. Some policy. I," Duo leaned back in his bed, "think it's pure bullshit."

Wufei chuckled darkly. "It seems treason has many friends. You sound as if you've developed feelings for this woman-child."

"Yeah, Wufei," Duo sneered, "lemme tell you _all_ about it."

"You're both children." Hiiro reprimanded. "Kihono will decide what is to be done with the girl. Both of you should stop worrying about it and concentrate on more important matters, such as this war."

Wufei sniffed angrily. "It just shows that a woman will never be a leader of men."

"Yeah," Duo interjected, "and I guess Relena is just a man in disguise, huh?"

The look he got was just as nasty as it was cold.

Usagi sat, shivering, on the ground in The Room, hours after her medical treatment. The wind outside had decided to blow mercilessly, and the thin cotton T-shirt she wore did nothing to conduct any heat. Not to mention she was lacking a bra.

The sky was a gloomy, moody blue and the clouds were a dull brownish color, and she sat, awaiting her fate, and thinking of past events.

"_You wanted to be a man so badly," Kihono had said, "that you were willing to risk death to become one?" _

_Usagi shook her head. "It's something more personal."_

"_Tsukino," Mikoshi ventured. "We don't have time for you to elude our questions. Answer directly. This is an order."_

"_Okay," her eyes remained grounded. "My intentions ran deeper…"_

_Kihono visibly bristled. "And your intentions were…?"_

"_My family," Usagi's eyes brimmed with water. "My family was all killed in the war. My friends—most of my friends—are either a part of it, or killed as well. I have nothing left, and I want to fight. I want to avenge."_

"_Getting revenge. Foolish." Mikoshi's words were ice, hard and merciless. "We are in a war, Tsukino. People die all of the time. You think the other cadets out there haven't lost someone due to the war? Why do you think half of those boys are even here?"_

_Usagi shook her head once more. "It's not the same. I'm not like them."_

"_You're a female. We cannot use you in this war! Your penalty is death, Tsukino. What more is there to say?" _

_Usagi glared at the ground, tears threatening to ruin her already blurred vision. "You're a woman, too—"_

"_Mikoshi is trained—was trained for years. She was trained properly. She went through the correct procedures. This is not a game, Tsukino. Did you think you wouldn't be found out? A woman is a woman, and a man is a man. If nature had intended otherwise, we would all be genderless."_

_She didn't even look at him. Instead, Usagi lifted her head and looked at Mikoshi. "My love. My Mamoru, he died protecting me. He died to save my life. How could you ever understand what this felt like? I have nothing left. I… I only have one goal in life left."_

_Mikoshi stiffened. "Well?"_

"_I will kill the very people who killed my family! I will kill those who killed my friends, my love… my life."_

_Kihono glanced at Mikoshi. "And you're training in a military camp…"_

"_To repay those who stole from me what matters most." Her eyes held fire. "I lost everything I love to this war, and I will get it back somehow, some way. I will. I—"_

"_You speak," Mikoshi said slowly, "you speak as if you know who destroyed your family and friends."_

_Usagi nodded vigorously. "I do," her eyes widened eagerly. "I do, and I will stop at nothing to get revenge."_

_Kihono narrowed his eyes. "It's all foolish, girl. Pretending to be a man—what were you thinking?"_

"_I see nothing else wrong." She was angry, now. They weren't even listening to her. "All I hear is that you accuse me of 'pretending to be a man.' So, what? What crimes have I caused? If women are regarded as weak and useless, then what surprise is it to you that I pretended to be a man instead? I am nothing if not myself, and if I cannot be myself, then I am nothing. So, I decided to be someone else."_

_Mikoshi sighed, agitated. "What makes you think you can destroy Oz, anyhow? You would be killed the instant you walked into their hands. Anger without control is just foolish. You are a pitiful trainee. What makes you think you can do anything of purpose to 'avenge' your losses?"_

_She didn't understand. Oz? She didn't want anything to do with Oz. Who was Oz? She wanted the Alliance. "Excuse me," she said, and a small siren sounded in her ear. A warning. "I don't know of any 'Oz', and I'm not after any 'Oz.'"_

_Kihono stiffened and stood taller. "Then who?" His eyes bore into the girl's, awaiting her answer. _

_Usagi looked from Mikoshi to Kihono, noting their identical and challenging gazes. She was afraid and her anger had vanished, leaving her weak. "The… the Alliance. They're the ones who—"_

_Mikoshi had closed her eyes, almost painfully. _

"_Are you telling me," his tone was pinched, body completely tense, fists clenched. "Are you telling me that you wish to destroy the Alliance, the very people you are training to fight for? Are you telling me that you are sided with Oz, the people we are at war with? Are you so foolish as to openly state your treason to this colony?" _

_Usagi was in pure terror. The Alliance? She was fighting _for_ the Alliance? But Setsuna.. Setsuna had said she could become a Gundam Pilot, and then she could avenge her family and friends! Setsuna had led her here… Setsuna had… "Betrayed me." her voice was hushed, merely above a whisper, awed and subdued. Her heart beat fast twice, then once, then it slowed. _

"_Treason, purely." Mikoshi's eyes were open and angry. "You, Usagi Tsukino, are charged with treason. Your penalty is death. Tomorrow, at dawn, your execution will be carried out in front of all cadets as a lesson to Oz. Treason, Usagi Tsukino… Treason…"_

"Treason." She spoke the word bitterly, coldly. "Treason and betrayal run hand-in-hand, eh, Setsuna?" She glanced quickly at the sky and laughed harshly. "You really had me going, there. You really fooled me, this time." Her laughter turned to hate, thick and apparent. "I trusted you," she whispered angrily. "I trusted you, and you lead me into this trap."

As if in reply, the sky brightened a bit, and a soft rumbling carried its way through the shivering trees. A storm. The moody blue deepened until a dusky black covered the camp, and the winds picked up again, bringing with them bits of rain.

She ignored it.

"I put my life on the line for you. All of you. You, Setsuna, the Guardian of Time—and what time am I in? You didn't foresee this! You, the Guardian of fucking _Time_!"

The winds howled and the rain splattered into her iron cage, stinging her flushed cheeks and ripping through her loosely bound hair.

"Ai…" Usagi felt a heavy weight on her chest, felt beaten and used. "I tried giving my all for you, Mamoru. I tried doing this for you, for everyone I love. I tried doing this for all of you. I tried…so hard…" Bitter tears snuck into her eyes and fell weightlessly, and she let them. The wind began to rub and scratch against her skin, and she welcomed it. The rain pelted the flesh that once felt soft as a baby's bottom, and she reveled in it. It felt good, she thought. The pain. The anger. The hate.

It all felt so good.

And she loved it.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, taking a deep breath. "Well now, Usagi," she murmured almost dreamily to herself. "You're considered a criminal. They hate you here, they hated you there," she was referring to her own time-frame. "They all want you dead. What're you going to do, little _Usako_?" The pet-name was spat out. A part of her past. A part of her history.

She leaned her head forward and stared out at the scenery. There were two men on watch, and the rest of the camp was sleep. No one had counted on a criminal, so the security was loose, minimal. The men stood by either side of her cage door, and she couldn't tell if they were awake or asleep. Both leaned against either side of her door, drooping.

"Sleeping idiots," she whispered to herself.

First things first. She couldn't stay in the cage, or the camp. Her execution was scheduled for dawn, and by the looks of it, she only had about three hours until that point. The sky was angry and black, and the winds were still high, and the rain still stung. She needed to get out of the camp under the cover of darkness and the weather. But how?

She looked around the cage. Nothing. The floor of the cage was solid iron, impenetrable. The back wall of the cage was also solid iron, as was the ceiling and the walls to her right and left. The only barred part of her cage was the front wall, which was actually just a row of vertical bars all the way across. The only thing she had with her was the shirt on her back, her sweat pants, and no shoes.

She looked down at her clothes. The shirt was matted with blood and dirt, and the sweatpants were as well. Pitiful. Stupid, dirty clothing. The only clean part was the drawstring on her sweatpants, and—

Wait a minute.

She tugged at the right drawstring. It slid a little in her pants, and the she pulled until she was holding the whole string in her hands. She glanced quickly at the guard to her right, then slid over to him on her hands and knees, stretching the string out behind his neck. It was much longer than it needed to be, and if this was going to work, she'd have to pull it extra tight. She licked her lips and glanced at the guard to the left. He was sleeping soundly. If she was going to do this, she would have to do it quickly, and thoroughly.

She sat back only a moment to gather her strength and courage. She told herself that if wasn't Usagi who was doing this, because Usagi had been hurt and misused. It was someone else. Someone else who wanted answers and revenge. Revenge…

She tightened her grip around the string.

Revenge…

She pulled it tight, and rested it gently around the front of the first guard's neck.

_Revenge…_

Like both guards, Usagi Tsukino died that night.

* * *

Oooh, some darkness in Usagi. Please, no one argue with me about her change. If you had been through this much and you were feeling as she felt, you'd be a little dark too :p Chapter 14 coming soon! 

AzureChan


	17. Chapter 14

Hey guys, semi-long author's note at the bottom. I'm feeling the juices for this story starting to flow again, which makes me really glad. My Way is my babe 3

Anyhoo, as usual:

My Way  
By AzureChan

Chapter 14:

Her hands wandered, explored. She was feeling around for a key, or a card, or some blasted way to get out of her metal imprisonment. Her fingers crawled slowly across the first guard's pants and—_metal. _A key.

Freedom.

In movies, criminals made sticking a key into a lock, without looking, seem simple. Usagi struggled once, twice, thrice, and on the fourth time, jammed the key into the lock and twisted quickly. With a small squeak of protest, the iron door in front of her slid open, and she was free.

Partially.

She still needed a way out of the camp, and preferably, off of the colony. The farther away from the military she was, the better. According to Mikoshi, Oz was the enemy and since Usagi was now associated with Oz—incorrect as that was—she was a prime target for the Alliance. This meant that in the morning, all of the familiarity she'd had with anyone in the camp was completely irrelevant. The friendships she'd worked hard to make—small as they were—meant nothing, now. No one in this camp would trust her anymore, no one would help her.

This was why she desperately needed to get out of the camp quickly and unseen.

She wondered if Trowa and Quatre had been informed. Did Trowa hate her, now? Did Quatre?

"Not that it really matters," she mumbled, quietly making her way across the soggy field toward the barracks, where the other trainees were sleeping soundly. "He wasn't here to help me at all."

Then again, she reasoned silently, maybe it hadn't been his fault. Maybe he had wanted to come to her, to help her, and maybe he'd been stopped, or silenced. Fear slowly edged its way into her mind. What if someone had seen her and Trowa talking a lot, had seen her sneaking to his room, and had told Kihono and Mikoshi? What if someone had known about her true identity long before now, and had only hidden it to hurt Trowa in the end?

She shook these thoughts from her mind and focused her attention on the building in front of her. "No time for fear," she whispered to herself. If she was going to go through with this, then the one alibi she was about to use couldn't be mistrusted, or feared.

Usagi shivered. It was cold, and the rain hadn't stopped blowing or coming down since she'd killed both guards.

A new kind of shiver made its way up the back of her spine, slowly and uncomfortably. It wasn't as if she had forgotten her kills, but the fact that she had killed in general. She had never actually killed a person—another living, breathing _human_ being. Oh, she'd killed _youma_ with her Senshi—she swallowed thickly at the memory. All four of her closest friends flashed in her mind, and for a moment, she felt weak and drained.

Standing in the rain, barefoot, probably catching all kinds of sickness, Usagi realized, once again, that she couldn't do it.

She sighed, frustrated, and sat awkwardly down on the stairs leading up to the barrack door. "This again," she murmured, not amused. She was beginning to despise these mood swings. First, an immense and uncontrollable anger, hatred, and in the next second, a kindred and tamed spirit, full of hurt and sadness, and weakness. It was damaging to her body and mind. She felt like two people in one body. Two Usagi's with two minds, and only one body to take action with. She gripped the concrete of the stairs and shook with coldness and uncertainty. Fear. How she loathed the feeling.

"Two choices," she whispered in the rain. By now, her clothes were soaked through and sticking to her like a second skin, and her hair sagged limply around her shoulders. "I can go in there and try my luck with Trowa, see if he'll help me, or I can wait until dawn and let it all go to waste, just like everything else in my life has." She wanted to pick at her nails, because that's what she usually did when she was afraid, but a stronger feeling overpowered it and she just sat, thinking.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she pushed herself up and onto wobbly legs, started down the stairs, and walked around to the back of the camp. If she was going to wait until morning to finally receive her peace, unjust as it was, she would at least have one last look around the place she had called home for the past six months.

Six months, she thought as she rounded the building's corner, the tree Hiiro often hid in coming into view. Had it really only been six months? It felt like an eternity. An eternity that would end, bitterly, at six o'clock that morning.

She stumbled, almost drunkenly, toward the huge tree, clasped its base, and dug her fingers in the mushy bark. She had planned on just leaning against the tree for another moment or so to wallow in her own self pity, when out of nowhere, in the darkness, a figure landed with a thump at her side.

She stiffened, her senses running wild and putting her on a full alert. Slowly, her body automatically falling into a stance, she turned and faced her unwanted company.

And she blinked, astonished.

"_You?"_ she said, and the figure stepped forward.

* * *

"Sing us another one, Barbie," slurred the drunken soldier, arm draped over the side of the bar counter, and in his other hand a fresh shot glass of whiskey. "You got a damn pretty voice." 

Another soldier muttered something in response, and still others hooted encouragingly, drunkenly, at the petite woman on center stage of the private bar.

She smiled sweetly, falsely, at all of them.

"You boys up for something fast, or would you like me to—" she lowered her eyelashes and winked at the men—"take it a little slower?"

They whistled and howled, excited and drunk with booze and sexual frustration.

This time, the smile was inward, and it was real. Perfect, she thought, eyeing the one soldier she had been trying to reach at the very beginning of her "show". He was gazing at her dreamily, quieter than the other soldiers, but just as drunk, and just as stupid.

It would be a slow song. A slow, hypnotic song. The words would speak to the soldiers in a language only men with full bellies and swelling loins could appreciate, and she would sing it beautifully, slowly.

"I _know I saw you here last night, lover boy_," she began in a silky soft, entrancing voice. "_And I know you saw me too, honey_," She made her way offstage, her body moving with the soft and capturing chords of the music, and the soldiers responded to her by tittering and clapping, watching her every movement.

"_Won't you let me take you home_," she was singing, swaying her hips from side-to-side as she sashayed toward her prey. "_Oh, please, come on home with me, darling…_" And she stopped, right in front of the soldier, so underneath the impression of alcohol that his eyes were glazed with it, leaking with it. He sat up straight on his stool, smiling stupidly at her, opening his mouth in response to her singing, giggling expectantly.

"'_Cause I_," she sang, and leaned down toward his ear, "—_I want to take you home with me…_" she whispered the last verses of the song right in his ear, and almost snickered when she felt him physically tremble.

He was hers.

After the song was finished and her respect was paid, she slid on the barstool right across from the soldier, crossing her legs and leaning toward him in one swift moment. She almost laughed aloud when he swallowed a lump, eyeing her long legs and small attire. This was too easy for her.

"You come around here a lot?" she asked in her honeyed voice, motioning to the bartender for a drink. The soldier cleared his throat and she slid the full glass toward him, and he drank before he answered.

"I come here a lot," he said, confirming her question. "But I've never seen you before…Barbie?"

He was so drunk that he couldn't even fully focus on her face. His eyes were looking somewhere over her shoulder and beyond. She reached forward and gripped his chin, turned it so his eyes were staring into her own. "Yeah, that's what they call me, sugar. Barbie Doll." She leaned closer, so their faces were mere inches apart. "You have a secret you want to tell me, stud?" She blinked cutely at him, and kissed the tip of his nose. "'Cause I want to know _everything _about you."

He was excited, antsy. Drunk. "Couldn't we go—somewhere else, Doll?" he grinned crookedly, nodding toward the staircase that led to some secluded rooms. "Couldn't we be alone?"

She sat back, anger throbbing in her veins. They always wanted something more than what she was willing to give, those stupid soldiers. Those stupid, pitiful Alliance soldiers. If she had her way, she'd—

"Sure, hon," she reached forward and gripped his hand, almost yanking him off the stool. "We can be alone." And as she led him up the stairs, leading to her special room, she only glanced over her shoulder once, winking at the face and grimacing inside.

He was young. Eighteen or so. Fresh out camp.

Too bad.

She pushed him in the room and closed the door behind her.

* * *

He only continued to stare at her, motionless. 

Usagi wanted to rip his head off. Her last moments were intended to be alone, and here he was, ruining the whole effect. And he wasn't even talking!

"Well?" she snapped, hands on hips. "What the hell do you want, Yui?"

Hiiro simply looked at her, for the first time, as a woman. He noted the smooth, feminine curve of her face, her petite, womanly frame, her long hair. How had he missed it while training her?

She felt naked beneath his eyes, and she squirmed. "What the hell are you _looking_ at?"

"You're cold," he said, matter-of-factly.

No matter how angry, how serious she was, Usagi never ceased to keep a straight façade with Hiiro. Almost immediately, her face burned red and she wrapped her arms around her upper torso. "Oh, that's just great," she snipped, miffed and embarrassed. "You see one woman in your entire life time, and the first thing you do is point out her _boobs_. Real mature, Hiiro."

For a moment, he didn't know what she was talking about. Then, he simply glowered at her. "You're shivering, Shenji…"

This time, the redness seeped down her neck and she tightened the hold she had around herself. "Touché," she muttered, embarrassed beyond all repair. "And my name isn't Shenji. That's my brother's name."

"Okay," he said.

She blanched. "Well… don't you want to know _my_ name?"

He ignored the question. "Why are you alive? The penalty for impersonating a man, in a camp, is death." His eyes were cold, but his face was expressionless.

She thought it a very rude question, and anger settled itself upon her nerves. "I'm sentenced to death at six AM," she said quietly, glaring at him. "You and all your trainee friends get to watch. I'm to be shot, Hiiro. Feel all better now?"

If he was shocked at her sarcasm he didn't show it. He leaned against the tree and crossed his arms. The rain still fell and the sky was still black, but they stayed considerably dry under the thick leaves of the tree.

"It was a stupid thing to do," he said finally.

Usagi leaned against the tree next to him, shrugging dejectedly. She knew he was talking about her joining the camp and posing as a guy. "Yeah, well," her voice was ragged. "I didn't know what else to do. I wanted what was best for my friends and family, so I left."

"It was a stupid thing to do," he repeated. "And I don't see how it was best for your family. Just stupid."

"I bet you don't care, either," she snapped, eyeing him. "Maybe it was selfish, okay? Maybe I did it because I couldn't handle the problems at home."

He made a sound, almost akin to a grunt. "You can't handle the problems you have here, either."

"Look," she exploded, standing straight. "Just shut up! I told you once already—if you haven't got anything nice to say, then—"

"Don't say anything at all," he finished for her. "Your mother said that."

For a moment, she was stunned. She hadn't expected him to remember. Then again, Hiiro was already a great trainee. He probably remembered a lot about everything. But she still murmured, "That's right" anyway.

"You couldn't possibly have gained anything, even if you had succeeded and gone to war. Your family would still be dead, and your purpose would have been aimless. You were destined to fail the moment you left home."

She shook her head wetly, frowning at him. "You know, you're really cynical." As an afterthought, she added, "and I never said my family was dead."

"That's irrelevant." He stared at her. "You're a woman, and you don't belong in this war. Women—"

"Don't you dare say women don't fight in wars," she griped. "Because they do."

His grin was faint and cold. "As prostitutes, yes."

Usagi shook her head again, and took a step forward. He was still taller than her, but she had grown an inch, so she reached his chin. She looked up at him and glared right in his eyes. "You have a lot of nerve, saying shit like that. My friends are in the war, and they are not prostitutes." She shuddered, imagining Mako in the arms of some beastly man. "Not prostitutes at all."

"Your friends are useless to this war, as are you. Hopefully, they weren't as foolish as you."

"Why, Hiiro," she sneered, "I never knew you to be sexist."

He turned. "Hn. This is a pointless conversation." He reached a hand up to climb back in the tree, but felt her smaller hand grip his arm. He looked first at her hand, then her face. He waited.

Usagi bit her lip, hesitant with a bit of fear. "Look," she said slowly. "You're right."

Hiiro turned fully to face her, still waiting quietly.

She sighed, looking at the ground. "I can't do this, you're right. My coming to this camp was a mistake, Hiiro. And I realize that. And…" she paused, gathering her thoughts to keep his full attention. "I really wish I hadn't come. I wish I'd stayed home, and hadn't bothered trying to be something I'm not…"

Still, patiently, he waited.

"I… I only want to go home, Hiiro." When she looked up, her eyes were full of bright tears, threatening to brim over. "I just want to leave. I want to forget I ever had anything to do with this stupid war effort. But… I'd need your help." She gripped his arm with her other hand.

It felt wrong. It felt very wrong. The sincerity in her eyes seemed false, and her lingering touch seemed planned. But maybe it was just his mind? He had been trained, almost programmed militaristically. He stared again into her eyes, into her tears. No. He wouldn't be fooled.

He yanked his arm away. "Your penalty is death. You brought this upon yourself, and you'll pay for it accordingly." He stepped backward from her gaze, her sad stare.

But she took a step forward, and kept the eye contact. "Please, Hiiro," her voice floated through the wind and rain toward his eyes. "I know I've betrayed you and asked a lot of you in these past months, but I'm only asking for one more thing."

He shook his head slowly, but even as he did, the word flew out of his mouth. "What?"

"Freedom," her voice was almost a whisper, and her heart sunk when he shook his head again. "Freedom, Hiiro. Please. I just—I need you to help me get out of here, off this colony. I need you…"

But he knew she didn't. She wanted to use him. She wanted to use him as a way to cheat death, cheat her fate. His training said it was impossible, said it was unthinkable. His training said her sentence was just.

"Please, Hiiro. Just put yourself in my shoes for a moment. Oh," she looked down. No shoes. "Or, just put yourself in my feet."

He swallowed.

"I know you can do that, Hiiro. Just… help me." She reached out her hand, slowly, never once breaking the eye contact. "Please, help me…?"

The rain poured thickly and unevenly. If he helped her, it would be easy. Under the cover of rain and darkness, no one would be able to see them, let alone stop them, from reaching one of the military jeeps parked in the front of the camp, under the tin overhang. No one would know who had hotwired the car to start. They'd all assume it was this girl, this tiny girl…

She stood quiet while he thought, and she knew he was thinking by the stony expression on his face. He wasn't looking at her anymore—he was looking into the night, past her shoulder and far away. He was thinking. He was formulating a plan.

_He was going to help her._

She bit her lip as they stood in silence, and she glanced nervously at the building behind her. What if, at any moment, someone woke up? What if Kihono or Mikoshi went to check on the guards, or her? What if—no. It was too much.

"Hiiro," she tried to sound urgent but silent. "Hiiro, if you're going to help me, I don't have much ti—"

"Quiet." His voice was dull, but cold and firm. "And follow me."

He brushed past her and started walking toward the front of the camp, and she followed closely behind. So closely, that once she stepped on his heels, and he turned and looked at her only once, then turned back around. The look hadn't been anything special—just serious. She made sure to keep a safe distance so she wouldn't step on his heels again. But in the darkness and rain, it was hard to see him, even with the camp lights all around. He was like a shadow—he moved expertly through the darkness, almost as if he was some kind of creature from the night.

Then again, she thought. Hiiro was no ordinary boy. He was a trained professional.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice when he'd stopped walking, and she bumped into him from behind. He, of course, took no force from the impact, and only turned his head to fix her with a look of hidden annoyance.

She backed up, sheepishly. "I'm sorry," she started. "I just—"

"Get in."

It was only then that she noticed they were standing near the camp jeeps. The jeeps were colored in standard camouflage colors, green and brown, and marked with the name of the camp. Patented. Slowly, realization dawned on her, and she backed up even more, shaking her head.

"Hiiro, no. You want me to steal a patented army car? Are you _crazy_?"

Apparently, he thought, but he only reached out and grabbed her shoulder. "I said, _Get in_." And he pushed her toward the jeep's one open window: the driver's window.

She fell against the side of the car, shoving Hiiro's hand off when she made contact. "Ow," she snapped irritably. And then, when she tried the car handle: "Hiiro, the doors are locked. I can't possibly drive away in a locked car, _with no keys_." She saw the malice in his eyes before she heard the anger in his voice.

"You're not thinking like the criminal you are." He ignored the wounded expression that took hold of her features. "Climb in the jeep through the window, and unlock the door from the inside. I'll take over from there."

She grumbled and mumbled as she struggled to haul herself in the window. "Hiiro," she complained pitifully. "I appreciate the help and all, but I can't—"

From behind, he pushed her roughly inside the window, watching as she hit her head on the steering wheel and tumbled over the seats. He ignored her protests of pain. "Unlock the door," he said, and waited impatiently for her to do so.

She settled herself in the driver's seat and rubbed her forehead, already grimacing against the bump she was sure would appear shortly. Unlocking the door, Usagi figured it necessary to mention to Hiiro that she couldn't drive—had never taken a test, had never been behind the wheel before.

"Now," he said, as he tampered with some wires underneath the steering wheel, "would be a good time to learn."

Her blood ran slightly cold at the thought.

After another moment, Hiiro touched two wires together, and a rumbling sound flitted throughout the entire jeep as the engine awoke. He stepped back, proud of his work.

Usagi glowed as she heard the engine start, and she closed the driver's door, testing out each petal with her bare foot. She grimaced in pain when the pads of her feet touched the petal, then reached down and slid her hand underneath her foot. It was slick, warm. She removed her hand and looked at it. In the darkness, the liquid was black. Blood. She was bleeding. She must have stepped on something on the way to the car. Thinking quickly, Usagi tore two shreds from her already tattered shirt, then tied one shred around one foot, and the other around her other foot. She tested the petal again. To her relief, no pain met her tests.

Hiiro tapped the car door and she looked at him. "What?"

"The petal to your right is the gas," he said, pointing. Her eyes followed his finger. "The petal to your left is the brake."

"Oh," she said. "Simple. I'll just use one foot for each petal. Piece of cake."

"No." He was annoyed. He thought she was just as stupid as when he'd first trained her. "You only use one foot for both petals. Alternate. There are gears," he again pointed in the car at the clutch and letters and numbers beside it. "'R' is reverse, 'D' is drive, 'B' is brake, 'N' is neutral. The numbers are the different gears for driving. You hit a steep hill; you put the car in '1' while driving. Understood?"

No, she thought, and said, "Yeah, I got it."

He knew she didn't. But whether or not she crashed while on the road was not his concern. Helping her was a big enough mistake already, and he was ignoring it as best he could. "When you get on the road, follow the train tracks North and you should get to town. From there, you're on your own."

Usagi nodded, testing the different systems within the jeep. She remembered that she was cold and tried the heating system. Instantly, warm, welcome air flooded the car and Usagi's body reacted by shuddering, but it was a happy, content shudder. Her skin dried and her clothes seemed as if they would follow shortly. It was a normal enough jeep, but equipped with an advanced military system that would give her radio connection to the other jeeps in the camp. She frowned at it. "Can they track me in this jeep?"

"Yes," he said.

She sighed. "It's always something, isn't it?" He remained quiet, and she saw she was overstaying her welcome. After all, Hiiro was illegally helping her. He could get in some serious trouble for doing so.

"How long do I have before they realize one of their jeeps is missing?" she asked, tapping the steering wheel. The jeep's clock read: 3:17 AM. A lot of time had passed. Too much.

"You said your execution is scheduled for six AM." He, too, looked at the clock. "Three hours from now, Kihono and Mikoshi will notice you're missing. It won't take long for them to realize where you've gone, or how you got away."

"So…" she drawled. "Roughly three hours?"

He shifted. "Two-and-a-half."

Usagi let out a slow breath. "Okay," she exhaled, nodding to herself. "If I'm going to do this, I have to do it now."

He didn't reply.

She looked over to her right and wiggled her fingers over the clutch and different gears. She gripped the handle and slowly moved the clutch toward the 'D', then tested the gas petal cautiously.

"Seatbelt," Hiiro said, and she quickly put it on. "I don't doubt someone heard the engine start." He let the sentence hang in the air, and she looked up at him, eyes wide and thankful, and she nodded. He could see she was afraid.

She bit her lip, and in a fit of emotion, smiled shakily at him. "You… you wouldn't want to come with me, would you?"

"No."

"Yeah," she closed her eyes, breathed. "I didn't think so."

"You need to leave. Now."

She nodded again, slowly, and then put her foot, gently, on the petal of the car, turning the steering wheel as she did so. It jumped once, then stopped, then lurched again, then continued smoothly toward the iron gate that enclosed the camp from the outside world. She looked out the rearview window as Hiiro grew smaller and smaller, just standing at the overhang, watching her leave. Finally, he was out of sight, and she stopped at the gate.

The radio in her car crackled, and for a moment, her heart froze. Then, a tinny voice came through her car's radio: "Identify yourself, soldier. Over."

She hesitated, then cleared her throat and made it as deep, but soft as she could, and answered: "Ah, this is cadet Quatre, requesting permission for departure. Over. I'm, ah, picking up supplies for General Kihono. Over. From a nearby base. Over…" She breathed quietly, gripping the radio tightly and listening closely. She heard two men speaking, though their voices were clouded by the storm and the bad radio signal. After a moment, the long, large gate in front of her began to slide to the side, and her heart started beating a little faster.

The radio crackled again, and the same tinny voice floated throughout her car: "Quatre Winner, sir, it's a bad storm out there. Over—" the signal was lost for a moment, but it came back in the next: "—ight not make it back—morning. O—er…"

Usagi ignored this, though, because she was already on the road and following the train tracks north, just as Hiiro had instructed her to do. The radio came on once more: "—ead me, Quatre? I repeat, do you read me? –ad storm out there. You might not make it back until morning. Over?" And afterward, she turned the radio system off completely, and drove the rest of the way in silence.

She was free.

And, just as Hiiro had predicted, the girl's absence from the camp was discovered exactly three hours later, and all trainees were called behind the school to stand in five rows of straight lines, at attention.

And that was when Hiiro realized just how badly he'd been used.

"Usagi Tsukino was an Oz soldier!" Kihono barked angrily, pacing back and forth before the rows of boys. "She was a threat to the Alliance—to the war effort! She was on a different side! And now—" he glared furiously at the boys. "—she's gone!" He voice carried like a gunshot. Powerful. Fierce.

"So I want to know," he continued, "which one of you helped her escape. She didn't have the potential, or the strength, to kill two armed and highly skilled military men on her own. She was not capable of such strength!" Shot after shot, his words rang out in the air among the boys, instilling a fresh fear in the ones who had grown accustomed to Kihono's angry personality.

And then, without word, Trowa Barton walked over and handed Kihono a small black disc, which he yanked out of the youth's hand impatiently. He held up the black disc for all to see.

"Video footage!" he was yelling. "It shows two people. One is the girl, the other—one of you! And we will find out who it was, gentlemen. Or else all of you will be punished on account of one of your own!" He took the disc and shoved it back at Trowa, who received it calmly and, like the others, stood at attention. Now, Kihono walked furiously up to the trainees and barked in their faces.

"We do not fraternize with the enemy! This is a war! This is not a game of cat and mouse! This is a war!" And then, as if exhausted from his exertions, he ordered all trainees to do thirty laps around the entire camp, his voice subdued.

And while they began to run, he glared and clenched his fists. "Don't forget," he warned. "We will find out which among you is the traitor, and you _will_ be sentenced appropriately."

And it was then—while Hiiro ran between Wufei and Duo, both boys huffing angrily at the punishment bestowed upon them—that Hiiro had a new, dominating goal. One that he wouldn't forget, one that he wouldn't push aside.

_I will be perfect_, he thought.

_And then, I **will** kill you, Usagi Tsukino. _

* * *

Wow. Fun, huh? Imagine if Hiiro made a promise to kill you one day! HAH! Well, hope you guys enjoyed this nice, long, informative chapter. I'm sorry so many of you are confused! The plot will thicken, but at the same time, it'll unfold. I promise not to leave you guys too far behind! 

Hope this chapter cleared up some things, and if not, those of you who are still confused can leave a review with your email. I'll try to get you guys some responses ASAP if you do.

And, as always… next chapter coming soon

Love,

AzureChan


	18. Chapter 15

My Way  
By AzureChan

Chapter 15:

She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, smoking. Behind her, at the head of the bed, soldier boy was snoring loudly, one arm draped over the space she had just occupied. He had been way too young. It wasn't as if she was old or anything—hardly, she was only sixteen herself—but her specialty was men. Older men, who came to these private bars to share experiences that they'd missed out on for years because of the war. Companionship.

Eighteen-year-olds were so used to getting their way that it was hard to mentally penetrate them. That was what had happened with this young soldier. He'd leaned in for kisses, stolen some, reached for her, groped air for her, begged for her, and had finally muttered something about her being a prude before he passed out from all his booze.

Minako hadn't gotten one stinking secret out of him.

Una wouldnot be pleased.

The rain was relentless. Since she had left the camp, it had begun to pour even harder. Stinging, fat droplets carrying with them such a cold rebuke at her escape.

She clutched her rags tighter around her and kept walking, trudging through soggy earth and brushing branches out of her eyes. Usagi had ditched the Alliance jeep on the side of the road after she'd reached town. The woods had seemed like the safest way to travel since then, and she'd been fighting her way through foliage for at least an hour.

The sky was now an angry gray, though morning had arrived already. From all of her early morning training with Hiiro, she figured it to be about seven, which meant Kihono and Mikoshi were probably finished scouring the entire camp, looking for her.

_Hiiro…_

She wondered if he'd ratted her out. Hiiro was a tough, impenetrable person, but was he trustworthy? Could he keep a secret? Would he tell Kihono and Mikoshi that he'd helped her escape, and to where? The thoughts flowed in and out of her mind, just like her level of consciousness. Usagi hadn't slept for hours, had been walking for so long without proper covering from the storm, and was rapidly losing whatever strength she had left.

"Everything hurts," she mumbled sleepily to herself. A stinging sensation kept jabbing her side, and when she looked down, an ugly cut lay jagged on her waist, reaching toward her navel. She grimaced at it. "Stupid bush_ bit_ me…"

The faint sound of a honking horn brought her senses to alert, and before she thought about what she was doing, she was running toward the sound at full speed, dodging tree branches and wincing at those she couldn't. The horn was a heavenly sound—it meant there was a car, which meant there was a road, which meant another town, which possibly meant a place to sleep.

She crashed out of the foliage and slipped on the muddy street twice before she regained her balance. The car horn stopped honking as a man—a boy, really—stumbled out of a ratty-looking building. Behind him, a girl with shockingly long blonde hair was yelling something that Usagi couldn't make out, but by the look on the boy's face, it couldn't have been too pleasant.

And then she noticed that she wasn't on a street at all, she was standing in a parking lot that looked like it had been visited by war. Usagi supposed it had been used as a shelter for soldiers once, because there was a distinct symbol above the door the boy had come out of. It looked like a pretzel that had been flipped upside down. She'd never seen anything like it.

"AND DON'T COME BACK!"

Usagi's head snapped toward the girl standing in the old doorway. Her arms were crossed and there was a heavy scowl on her face as she watched the boy bundle into his car and drive away. After he was out of sight, the girl visibly sagged against the doorway, leaning on it as if she couldn't bear to stand up straight anymore. Usagi squinted, and when she did, she thought she saw a flash of red at the girl's side.

Suddenly, the girl across the parking lot jerked her head away from the road and toward Usagi. Time almost seemed to stop as they stared at each other. Usagi couldn't fully make out the other girl's features, but there was something familiar about her expression, her hair, and her structure. The hair on her body prickled with sweat and anticipation. Her scalp itched. She squinted again.

_She almost looks like…_

And then, almost as quickly as she had stared at Usagi, the girl turned around and went back into the building, then slammed the door behind her.

Usagi frowned and took a step forward. She winced. The scratch at her side had turned from a stinging feeling to a dull ache. Her body felt like lead as she trudged toward the door the girl had disappeared into. Invisible rocks pulled on her legs, her arms, her torso, and all the while, a mental hammer whacked away at her temples. She desperately needed sleep. It wasn't as if she had fully healed from her tuff with Wufei, either.

_Bastard…_

When she reached the door, she drew in a deep breath and tried to smooth her hair and rags as best she could. With all the courage she could muster, she balled her fist and rapped firmly on the closed door.

From behind the bar, Minako clenched her teeth tightly together as Bill, her superior, cleaned the wound at her side with expert, old hands.

"Fucking soldier," Minako seethed, wincing. "He actually had the nerve to _cut_ me. I swear, Alliance soldiers are more dangerous when they wake up than they are in battle."

Bill chuckled softly, then pressed a damp cloth against her wound and secured it there with a bandage he wound around her waist. He clamped the bandage in place and pulled Minako's shirt down. "There," he smiled at her. "All better."

She smiled back at him, but winced again when she took a step. "I didn't get anything from him, Bill," she said, her face grim and serious. "I tried everything, and he just wouldn't give me anything. I think they're getting smarter. I think there're some camps we don't know about. He had a different patch on him than the usual Alliance guys. He had a—"

A knock at the door stopped Minako's speech. She looked at Bill, and he nodded toward the back door, the door she had just walked in a minute ago. She narrowed her eyes as he reached under the counter and came back up with a small hand gun. He tossed it to her, and she put it behind her back as she went to open the door.

It wasn't uncommon for an Alliance soldier to use the back door to get into the bar, but the bar didn't fully open until ten in the morning. It was only seven-thirty now. So for someone to be knocking on the back door at this early in the morning—now, _that_ was uncommon.

She looked back over her shoulder at Bill as the knocking became insistent. He nodded to her, which meant he had a gun in hand and could back her up at any moment. With this knowledge, Minako swiftly opened the door and tightened her grip on her hand gun. "Can I hel—"

It was a girl. Minako blinked. It was the same girl she had seen come running from the woods a few moments ago. Close up, though, this girl was a bit frightening. Her clothes were mere rags covering her body, and they were dirty, soggy rags. The shirt she was wearing looked as if it had been white once, but it was now a muddy color, streaked with darker dirt and some kind of rusty red color. Her feet were covered in red and brown scratches and wrapped in brown rags, and her face was streaked with dirt, along with her hair. Water dripped from her bangs, which were plastered to her forehead. Her hands were trembling a bit, and dirt was stuck deep inside of her fingernails, which were almost ash with filth. And to top it all off, a bright red something was showing from beneath the large tear at the side of her shirt. Her breath seemed to rattle in her throat.

Unconsciously, Minako scrunched her nose at the girl; she smelled of rot and band-aids.

Usagi breathed heavily, leaning against the doorway. Her guess had been correct: she was standing face-to-face with Minako Aino, one of her best friends. The nostalgic pang she had tried to dismiss almost a year earlier hammered at her chest with full force. A thick wad of emotion hardened in her throat, and while she tried to hold them back, thin tears bit at her bottom eyelids. She tried to smile, but it hurt too much, so she just breathed out slowly. "I—I've been walking for a while, now," she stopped to catch her breath. "I was wondering if you have a room…"

A street rat. Minako's defense slacked and she stopped tensing. There were many homeless people around these parts due to the war, and many had often asked for a room at the bar. Some girls, really young ones whose appearance hadn't yet been ruined by war, often came by to see if there was a job for them, a way to make some money for themselves or their families. Though she wasn't cruel-hearted, Minako had turned every one away. They didn't understand that Bill wasn't her manager—he wasn't the one who paid her.

"I'm sorry," Minako said finally, her eyes softer than they had been a moment ago. If this had been an ordinary bar, she would have gladly taken the girl inside for a bath and some fresher clothes, but it wasn't an ordinary bar and the girl wasn't of any use to her or Bill. "We don't have any rooms here. You might want to try somewhere else. This is a bar, not a motel." She turned to go inside, but the girl reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

This time, Minako tensed and gripped the gun tighter. She'd learned much from working for Una. No one could be trusted, no matter how pitiful they looked. If this girl wouldn't go away on her own, Minako would make her.

"Look," she said, her tone rough, "I said—"

"You know me," Usagi said, sad and slightly confused. The voice, the looks, the hair… even the way she was trying to be mean. Minako always had been bad at being firm with people. Her girly appearance and rosy cheeks made her look too much like a little doll. When the two had argued before, their arguments had ended up in laughter and pillow fights. Usagi felt hurt, then removed her hand from Minako's shoulder. The other girl was staring at her coldly, suspiciously. Usagi figured Minako worked for some kind of organization, because she had seen the flash of metal behind the girl's back when she turned. Minako was carrying a gun.

"I don't know who the hell you are," Minako snapped, agitated. "I've never seen you in my life."

Usagi shook her head, looked over Minako's shoulder. An elderly man stood behind the bar counter, one arm visible and the other hidden. She reasoned he was armed, too. When she looked back at Minako, into the girl's shiny blue eyes, she almost couldn't understand why Minako didn't recognize her. Besides her battered appearance, Usagi figured she looked pretty much the same. But when only coldness stared back at her, Usagi remembered what Setsuna had done to her Senshi. Minako didn't remember Usagi.

"Hey!" Minako shouted into the girl's face. She seemed to be in some kind of trance. "You need to _leave_. I can't help you."

"I _know_ you," Usagi said, and she looked pleadingly into Minako's eyes. "I could never forget you, Minako."

Minako's eyes widened and she took a startled step backward. When she did, she brought her gun up and pointed it at Usagi's heart. Her hands were trembling, but she held a firm grip on her gun. A sudden flood of emotions swam uneasily through her veins. No one had called her 'Minako' since she had left home so long ago. Now, since being part of the war effort, her codename was Barbie Doll, and she worked for OZ. No one knew her real name. _No one_.

"I don't know who the _hell_ you are," Minako said again, part of her genuinely frightened. How did this girl off of the streets know her real name? Were there spies on the premises? Was she found out? This was Alliance territory. Were her and Bill in danger?

Usagi stared at the gun, then back at Minako. She could tell that she had stunned her former friend, but she didn't care. She needed the _old_ Minako's trust, and she needed to gain it fast. Otherwise, this new Minako would shoot her without failure. "Please trust me," she tried, staring into Minako's watery blue eyes. "I need you to trust me, Minako,"

"Stop calling me that!" Minako didn't move when the other girl stepped forward and into her gun. The barrel rested against the girl's breast, and Minako's finger trembled at the trigger. "Who the hell _are_ you?" Her voice shook.

Something deep within Usagi broke, and before she could stop herself, she began to cry soft, hiccupping cries. How could it have come to this? How could she have ever asked Setsuna to make her best friends forget her? She looked at Minako and slowly reached forward to grip the barrel of Minako's gun. The girl's eyes followed Usagi's every move. Usagi took another step forward and felt the gun press harder into her breast. "Please, Minako. Please just trust me,"

"_Stop_ that!" Minako's mind was reeling. Not only was she crying, but every time the other girl called Minako by her real name, something inside of her heated up. It was warm, and it flowed through her stomach, churning and turning until it swept through her veins, her blood, and up her throat, making it hard for the girl to breathe correctly. She was gasping, breathing hard through her mouth. "You stop calling me that! Who are you? Tell me now, before I shoot you right here!"

From behind the counter, Bill was pointing his own gun toward the girl in the doorway. Barbie was like a daughter to him, for both had been torn from their homes and thrown into the war effort at separate times. In his mind, fate had brought them together as some sort of broken family, and like he would with his own children, he would defend Barbie as best he could. From what he could tell, this girl in the doorway posed a threat.

Usagi shook her head and more tears slid down her cheeks. "I _really_ need you right now, Minako," her voice broke and hesitantly, she began to slide the barrel of the gun away from her breast. "Minako, _please_, try to remember me…"

"_Remember_ you?" Minako growled, eyes wide and wet with her own frustration. "I've never fucking _seen_ you in my _life!_ _Stop calling me that name!_" Her hand was trembling and sweating horribly now, and she couldn't get her finger to stay on the trigger from the liquid. That warm sensation surged through her body as she shook, and she found it hard to stand.

"Minako," Usagi said again, and now she felt something heavy in her body, something thick and heavy and struggling to push free. Her eyes were burning, as were her hands, and in response to the feeling she clenched her fists. It was the same painful but familiar feeling she felt the night she healed herself back at the camp. "Minako, you remember me." It wasn't a request anymore. It was a command.

The warm but firm tone was so familiar that Minako almost erupted with tears. Yet she didn't know why. She couldn't understand why she recognized this girl's tone, or why she wanted to cry. All she knew was that she didn't have the strength to shoot this girl, this strange and dirty girl, and with a defeated cry, she dropped her weapon. It clattered uselessly on the ground, and Minako pressed her palms into her eyes to stop the tears. She was so lost, so confused. And to top it all off, that warm sensation had now engulfed her whole body. She felt feverish, flushed—too warm for her own good. What _was_ this feeling?

Usagi mistook these actions. She felt her own sense of warmth flow throughout her. "Minako, do you remember me?"

This time, hearing her real name pushed her over the edge. Everything was too much at one time. With a ragged cry, a fearful cry, she backed up and screamed, "SHOOT HER!" over her shoulder at Bill. Immediately, the shot rang out, but before Minako could get completely out of the way, she stumbled over the gun she had just dropped. And then, with a sickening realization, she knew that she'd be shot instead of the girl.

Usagi drew a sharp breath as the shot pierced the air, and with everything she had, she rushed forward and bounded into Minako, wrapping her arms around the girl as she tried to throw them both out of the way. The scene reminded her so much of Mamoru. She was determined that no one else would die on her behalf. But before she could get them both out of the way, she felt something warm and wet encase both hers and Minako's bodies. There were two equal flashes of bright light, like two separate cameras going off at the same time. Yet instead of _two _white lights, there was only one, and the other was a bright, blinding, faded orange color.

Equally terrified, both girls let out two piercing screams in unison, arms wrapped tightly around each other, drenched in this wet, warm liquid and encased in this weird light. Only when the shot pierced the old wood of the doorway behind them did they both tumble to the ground, entangled in each other, coughing and sputtering as the liquid exploded in tiny sharp shards of what seemed to be glass, and colored with the strange orange and white light. A moment later, the shards and the light vanished completely.

Usagi coughed hard, forcibly, painfully, until finally, she vomited up some kind of dark green, almost black liquid and watched it spatter sickeningly on the ground in front of her. Then, to her horror, it started burning the ground beneath it, and with an angry hissing sound, bubbled and dissolved into nothing more than a black stain on the wood. She breathed deeply, sucking in great gasps of air while wiping her mouth of the saliva on it. Her arms were trembling as she used them to hold up her torso, and when she looked over at Minako, she found the girl furiously wiping her own mouth and watching with wide, petrified eyes as her own vomit burned and faded in front of her.

Minako covered her mouth with her hands and felt fat, wet tears slide out of her eyes and splatter on the blackened ground in front of her. She shook her head in disbelief and fear, and then lowered it into her hands and began to cry great, heaving sobs. Her body trembled when Usagi crawled over to her and she felt the girl wrap an arm around her back. "I—I don't understand," she choked through her sobs. "What—what was that?"

Usagi shook her own head and only held onto Minako. "I don't know, Mina," she said, just as confused. _What the hell was _thatBut she didn't have any more time to think about it, because Minako suddenly whirled around and wrapped her arms around Usagi's body. She sobbed miserably into Usagi's tattered and dirty shirt, and gripped the girl as tightly as she could. So tightly, in fact, that Usagi found it a little hard to breathe.

"Um… _Mina_—"

"I almost _shot_ you!" Minako blubbered, wiping her nose and eyes all over Usagi's shoulder. "_I_ _almost killed my best friend!_"

At these words, Usagi felt tears of her own start to slide out of her eyes. Minako remembered her! A great weight seemed to fall off her shoulders, and she wrapped her own arms around Minako, then began to sob just as loudly as the other girl. "Oh, Mina, you remember me!"

"I know!" Minako took a great breath and then resumed her tearful fit. "And I almost _shot_ you!"

"I know!" Usagi responded, just as tearfully. "How could you _do_ that to me?"

"I didn't know who you were!"

"I didn't know you knew how to use a gun!"

"I _don't!_"

And both girls began to sob even louder and just as miserably.

From behind the counter, Bill felt awful for shooting at Barbie's friend. But now what was he going to do? How would he explain to Una about Barbie's friend, the crying girl? He sighed and put his gun down, then figured he might as well try to console both girls before they ruined his good glasses with their piercing voices.

* * *

Hope you guys aren't too confused. A lot will be explained in the next chapter, which is coming soon ♥ Thank you so much to those who still read this! 

AzureChan


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